Speaking during official celebrations marking the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Sandinista Revolution on Sunday, Ortega said his government would work with the National Assembly to introduce new legislation aimed at preventing what he described as attempts to destabilize the country.

"There will be no more elections here so that they can try to seize the government, seize power," Ortega told supporters gathered for the anniversary event.

The 80-year-old leader, who has served as president since 2007 after previously leading the country in the 1980s, also said his administration would pursue laws designed to "build a wall" against what he called "coup plotters" and "traitors."

"We will work with the National Assembly and the relevant institutions on laws, because we need laws that build a wall, a barrier, against the coup plotters and the traitors who sell out their country," Ortega said.

The announcement came during a public appearance that marked Ortega's first in 61 days.

The statement has drawn attention because Nicaragua is scheduled to hold presidential elections next year. Ortega did not clarify whether the elections would be formally canceled or whether opposition parties would simply be prevented from participating.

Critics say Nicaragua's democratic institutions have steadily weakened under the leadership of Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, who serves as co-president.

Political analysts described the latest remarks as a notable escalation in the government's stance toward the political opposition.

Tiziano Breda, Senior Latin America Analyst at the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), said the announcement represents a major turning point.

"With this decision, Ortega and Murillo have sealed the country's transition to a full-fledged family dictatorship," Breda said.

Ortega first came to power following the Sandinista Revolution, which overthrew the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza in 1979. After leaving office in 1990, he returned to the presidency in 2007 and has remained in power ever since.

In the 2021 presidential election, the government barred several opposition parties from participating and detained multiple opposition presidential hopefuls before the vote, moves that drew widespread international criticism.

The latest announcement has further fueled concerns over the future of political pluralism and democratic governance in Nicaragua as the country approaches its next scheduled electoral cycle. (ILKHA)