Legislators in Nicaragua have approved a constitutional amendment that will strengthen the power of longtime President Daniel Ortega, who has been accused of cracking down on critics and political challengers.
The reforms, which 79-year-old Ortega sent to Congress this week “as a matter of urgency,” were approved unanimously on Friday by 91 lawmakers.
The changes elevate Ortega’s wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, to the post of “co-president.” They also increase the presidential term in the Central American nation from five to six years and extend the executive’s control over the media.
Rights groups and international observers slammed the vote as a “sham” and accused the Sandinista leader of stifling dissent by trying to legalize the “absolute power” Ortega and his wife already wield in the country.
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