President Daniel Ortega said Nicaragua will no longer hold elections, declaring that the opposition would no longer have an opportunity to challenge his government when his current term ends next year.
Speaking on Sunday during an event commemorating the 1979 Sandinista revolution, Ortega said the measure would prevent groups he described as being backed by the United States from seeking power.
"There won't be any more elections here for them to try to seize the government and seize power," Ortega said.
He did not provide details on how the measure would be implemented.
Ortega, who has remained in power continuously since 2007 after previously serving as president from 1985 to 1990, said the decision would block the return of parties he linked to the former Somoza era.
"The days when parties backed by the Yankees and the Somocistas would return to power are over - never again," he said.
The announcement came during his first public appearance in two months.
Nicaragua's 2021 election was widely disputed after Ortega's government detained political opponents and business leaders while criminalizing dissent.
Last year, constitutional reforms extended the presidential term to six years and named Ortega's wife, Rosario Murillo, as co-president.
The couple now shares authority over key state institutions, including the armed forces and the judiciary.
Ortega's government has faced sustained criticism from international human rights bodies over its handling of political opposition and civil society.
The U.N. Human Rights Council has accused the government of transforming Nicaragua into an authoritarian state and systematically violating human rights.
The country has remained in a prolonged political crisis since anti-government protests in 2018, when a government crackdown left more than 300 people dead.
Authorities have also been accused of suppressing dissent, while previous reports have cited the stripping of citizenship from hundreds of Nicaraguans and the departure of others who fled the country fearing imprisonment.
The latest announcement further strengthens Ortega's hold on power by removing the prospect of future electoral competition, although no formal mechanism for ending elections was outlined during his speech.