withered celebration of the 44th anniversary since the overthrow of dictator Anastasio Somoza, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo have governed Nicaragua amid rising internal instability. The July 19 speeches featured a mix of intense orations from both men and women. Social media echoed a sense of rejection toward the regime’s rigidity and mounting difficulties. Ortega urged a small audience to applaud the former Libyan autocrat Muammar Gaddafi, a ruler who was killed in 2011 by a regional gang. He was described as someone who did not quit, unlike others who are called quitters or sellouts, a remark that reflected the admiration some feel for autocratic strength while recognizing the difference in their historical legacies.
The president reiterated his defense of the alliance with Moscow. He argued that most of the Latin American and Caribbean States forum members, including those in the European bloc, failed to separate their critique of the situation in Ukraine from broader political alignments. He dismissed accusations against Russia, and notably, this appearance did not include Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel or Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. The event still featured the couple being escorted by their son and daughter-in-law.
Murillo spoke in a long, sometimes opaque register, arguing against what she called obsolescence and the erosion of the people’s legitimate aspirations. She invoked a fierce imagery of betrayal, asking how to understand the chorus of snakes and hired humiliators who supposedly serve the regime’s masters. In her remarks she also reasserted a symbolic vision of leadership, presenting herself as both a resilient First Lady with executive influence and a preacher-like figure. She asserted that the people endure through Spirit, Faith, and love, claiming that Christ Jesus dwells among them and that their political project embodies Christian, socialist, and compassionate values.
growing popularity
A Costa Rica CID Gallup survey indicates that more than half of Nicaragua’s population no longer tunes to Ortega’s television channels or Murillo’s daily monologue. The survey also shows a clear fatigue with the current leadership: about 75 percent of respondents lack political sympathy, only 13 percent support the Sandinista Front in power, and 61 percent disapprove of how the marriage is handling governance. On corruption, 56 percent say it has risen over the past six months, and 70 percent believe the country is headed in the wrong direction.
Eight years earlier, a similar CID Gallup survey had shown 75 percent of respondents giving Ortega positive reviews. Between those two data points, a social and political erosion took hold, accelerating around 2018 with protests that were met with force reminiscent of the earlier Somoza era. The tightening character of state control in the last five years is seen by observers as a deliberate choice by the couple to retain power, through punitive governance and coercive state behavior.
According to a columnist for El Confidencial, Julio López Campos, the current moment shows the lowest historical level of support for the dictatorship. He argues that Ortega and Murillo have become among the most disreputable figures in the country, with support slipping quietly not only in the inner circles of Sandinism but also within the regime’s own political and military structures. He notes that this shift is quietly advancing through the army and the police as well.
strict minority
This perspective is shared by multiple opposition factions. They describe a solid minority around Ortega and Murillo, while many officers and police members report discomfort rather than solid allegiance. Exiled former Sandinista commander Dora María Téllez notes that more than 350,000 Nicaraguans have left the country since 2018 in search of jobs and opportunity, as academic programs were interrupted, diplomas unobtainable, and many young people faced persecution and imprisonment. The exodus underscores a broader erosion of legitimacy and a growing gap between the regime and the population it governs.
In summary, the political landscape in Nicaragua reveals a leadership marked by controversial alliances, contested popularity, and a citizenry that increasingly questions the direction of the country. Analysts emphasize the durability of the regime’s core base while also recognizing the persistent fractures inside the state, the military, and civil society. The developing situation remains a focal point for regional observers who watch closely how leadership and legitimacy evolve under sustained pressure from internal dissent and external political dynamics (CID Gallup, El Confidencial).