The new norms will come into force once they are approved during the second legislative session next year.

On November 22, the National Assembly approved a reform of the Nicaraguan Constitution, repealing 38 articles and amending 143 out of its 198 articles.

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Although the reformed constitutional text has already been published in the official register, it will only come into effect once it is approved during the second legislative session of the upcoming year. Among the changes made are the following:

Co-Presidency and Succession. Through a reform of Article 133, Nicaraguan lawmakers created the position of “Co-President.” They also specified that, in the event of the death of one of the two co-presidents, the surviving co-president will assume the Presidency of the Republic.

Expansion of Executive Powers. The constitutional reforms grant the presidency greater control over the legislative, judicial, and electoral branches. It was also established that the presidency is the supreme authority over the Nicaraguan Army, the National Police, and the Ministry of the Interior.

Voluntary Police and Statelessness. The constitutional reform institutionalizes the “Voluntary Police” and introduces the concept of statelessness as a punishment for those deemed “traitors to the homeland.”

National Symbols. The red-and-black flag of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) will now be considered a national symbol.

Church and Press. The reform prohibits religious organizations and churches from engaging in activities that threaten public order. It also consolidates the state’s authority to combat fake news.

Political analyst William Grigsby Vado explained that the reforms to the Nicaraguan Constitution reaffirm the Nicaraguan people as the holders of political power.

More specifically, through this reform process, Nicaragua completes the dissolution of the bourgeois state, whose ultimate expression was the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza and his son (1937–1979).

“This Constitution reaffirms Nicaragua’s commitment to peace and international law, rejecting all forms of aggression or military, political, or economic intervention, and strongly opposing interference in the internal affairs of other states,” Grigsby Vado also emphasized.

“It promotes sovereignty and the self-determination of nations. A fundamental aspect of this reform is the recognition and protection of the rights of Indigenous peoples residing along Nicaragua’s coasts—a historical claim championed solely by the Sandinista revolution,” he added.

teleSUR/ JF Sources: teleSUR – La Prensa – El Comercio

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