US Urges Isolating Nicaragua After Ortega Vows to End Elections

The U.S. urged isolating Nicaragua after President Daniel Ortega vowed to stop holding elections. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Ortega’s declaration “lays bare” its authoritarian character and that Nicaragua should not expect “business as usual” while rejecting democratic rule. Rubio added that Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo have abandoned any “pretense” of popular consent. A separate statement from the State Department’s Western Hemisphere bureau called on hemispheric partners to work toward ensuring Nicaraguans can choose a future free from “tyranny.”