July 29, 2026

Article from combined report by Sputnik and Lahaine.org.
Translation: John Catalinotto

Nicaraguan Co-President Daniel Ortega announced on July 19 that, together with the National Assembly, he will push for legislative reforms to prevent individuals he described as “coup plotters” or “traitors” from participating in electoral processes if they receive foreign funding to promote actions against the state.

Western NGOs and media outlets, as they always do, took his words out of context and claimed that he had said there would be no more elections.

The main ceremony marking the 47th anniversary of the victory of the Sandinista Popular Revolution took place in Managua’s Plaza La Fe before a crowd of more than 50,000 people. During the ceremony, Ortega stated that the reforms will seek to block those who, using funds from the U.S., attempted to overthrow the government during the 2018 crisis.

He declared, “We are going to work with the National Assembly and the relevant social organizations on the laws, because we must enact laws that erect a wall against the coup plotters and the traitors to the homeland, so that no matter how much money the Yankees give them, they will not be able to [participate in the elections].”

Ortega confirmed that the events of 2018 constituted an attempted coup d’état organized with U.S. funding. He asserted that young people and adults were trained and armed to overthrow the Sandinista popular government.

He said: “Let’s remember how in 2018, while we were in negotiations with business leaders — including the Somocistas, who were business leaders — we had a major peace agreement in the works, and the process was moving forward, when suddenly we were stabbed in the back. They organized the coup, using U.S. funds to bring in young people and adults, to prepare them, train them, arm them, and overthrow the legitimate government of the Sandinista Front.”

At that time, Ortega recalled, those agents sought to paralyze the country through roadblocks, and the executive branch had no choice but to deploy the police, who, together with volunteers, cleared the roads. However, he emphasized, that did not prevent the lackeys from committing serious crimes, including the murder of their fellow citizens and the destruction of educational facilities.

In addition, he defended the social policies promoted by his administration, including free education and public healthcare, the construction of hospitals, housing and schools, and he asserted that preserving peace is essential to ensuring the continuity of these programs.

This statement builds on the proposal Ortega made at the beginning of his speech that the principle of “People’s President” would be incorporated into the Constitution, as part of the political initiatives announced during the commemoration of the anniversary of the Sandinista Popular Revolution.

The president stated that these historical experiences must remain present in the minds of new generations, warning that “diabolical beasts are always seeking ways to dominate peoples in order to appropriate their wealth.”

On the international front, Ortega expressed his support for Venezuela and asserted that that country has been the target of actions orchestrated by foreign powers. He also reiterated solidarity with Cuba, denouncing the economic blockade imposed on the island for more than six decades and highlighting the resilience of the Cuban people.