The UN human rights chief criticizes Nicaragua’s decision to cancel the elections Election News

The United Nations human rights chief has condemned the growing repression in Nicaragua, calling for the restoration of human rights and the rule of law.

The United Nations human rights chief has criticized Nicaragua for violating human and political rights, a few days after the president. Daniel Ortega announced a plan to ban elections and imprison the opposition.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Wednesday that “recent events are intensifying restrictions on fundamental rights, the removal of public space, and the breakdown of the rule of law” in the Central American country.

Ortega, a veteran leftist who ruled Nicaragua for nearly two decades with his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, said Sunday that “there will be no elections” in the country, eliminating any hope of challenging the family’s rule.

General elections were due to be held in November, but a constitutional amendment passed 18 months ago extended the president’s term from five to six years, bringing the vote back to 2027.

Turk said that the power in Nicaragua is increasing “in the president”, and the decision. Sandinista party they already have full control over the parliament, all municipalities and regional councils in the North and South Caribbean Coast.

He called on the authorities to “reopen public space, and restore the rule of law”, warning that “independent speech or opinion is systematically suppressed”, and urged that “people of all political opinions should be allowed to vote and run for office, in line with the Government’s international demands for human rights”.

The statement also cited the government’s sudden dismissal of several lawyers earlier this month, which it said had no legal basis, and said at least 46 people had been arrested without political reasons.

Turk also expressed concern about the way religious groups are treated, pointing out that Bishop Abelardo Mata Guevara, 80, who was arrested on June 29, urged Managua to release all those arrested arbitrarily “with humanity and dignity”.

Since the start of the protests in 2018 – in which more than 300 people were killed, according to UN figures – Ortega and Murillo have greatly strengthened the Nicaraguan people.