In the wake of Hurricane Felix and the torrential rains that wreaked havoc on wide areas of Nicaragua, the country’s political class decided to focus on their version of the priorities: reforms to the Constitution in order to establish a new system that would, they say, be a form of parliamentarianism. The figure of Prime Minister would be created but the President would still retain a lot of power.
This is viewed by many as an open attempt to ensure the perpetuation in power of the two main political forces: the Sandinistas of Daniel Ortega and the PLC (Constitutional Liberals) of former president and convicted felon Arnoldo Alemán.

Central to the reforms is the overturn of the ban on a president seeking office for two terms in a row. The idea of no reelection exists because of concerns around the possibility of establishing an “elected dictatorship.” Another reform proposes that whoever gets the most votes in a presidential election is the winner. At present, a candidate needs at least 35% of the vote with a five percent lead over the runner up.

This suggested reform would virtually ensure a continuation of the rule of Daniel Ortega after the next elections in 2012 since he consistently gets more votes than any other non-Sandinista candidate.