The Affairs of Nicaragua Concern Nicaraguans Only
By Danilo Chang Cash, Ambassador of Nicaragua to South Africa
24 July 2026
The People of Nicaragua commemorated on July 19th the 47th anniversary of the Triumph of the Sandinista Popular Revolution, a historic event that marked a before and after in the construction of a truly Free, Sovereign, and Independent State.
Since its independence from Spanish colonial rule in 1821, the nation’s history has been profoundly shaped by external interventions and the interests of foreign powers, generating decades of struggle to achieve full self-determination for the Nicaraguan people. Throughout this process, there have also been internal sectors who, acting as unfaithful sons and daughters of the homeland, subordinated themselves to imperial agendas in order to obtain the approval of the United States to govern the country. Such subordination enabled the plundering of natural resources and the abandonment of the working class, peasants, women, youth, and Indigenous and Afro descendant peoples.
In more recent history, U.S. interference even influenced the direction of the country’s electoral processes, imposing governments aligned with its interests. In response, on May 4th, 1927, the General of Free Men and Women, Augusto C. Sandino, raised the banner of National Dignity by rejecting the Pact of Espino Negro, signed between the submissive government of Sacasa under the tutelage of the United States. That act marked the beginning of the liberation struggle led by the Army for the Defense of National Sovereignty, which confronted and expelled the U.S. Marines— a struggle that culminated with the assassination of General Sandino in 1934.
In 1961, Commander Carlos Fonseca Amador founded the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), symbol of continuity of General Sandino’s legacy, waging battles against the Somocista dictatorial regime, which was backed by the United States of America. The Nicaraguan people, guided by the FSLN, defeated the genocidal Somoza dictatorship on July 19th, 1979.
During the central ceremony marking the 47th anniversary of the Revolution, Commander and Co President Daniel Ortega Saavedra delivered a historical overview of the struggles of the Nicaraguan people and emphasized the importance of defending the achievements gained. He recalled how, historically, puppet governments serving foreign interests were imposed, causing setbacks and poverty for the country. Commander Daniel also referred to the unfaithful sons of the homeland who, during the failed coup attempt in 2018, sought to overthrow the legitimate Sandinista Government and committed crimes against the Nicaraguan people. He noted that these groups continue to request foreign intervention and sanctions against Nicaragua. To these sectors—identified as heirs of somocismo and driven by electoral ambitions—Commander Daniel reiterated that they will never return to power: never, never, never.
Comrade Co President Rosario Murillo also stated:
“The history of electoral processes that were forged, designed, directed, and guided by the United States— that is the history; that is the kind of elections that will never again return to our Nicaragua.”
Copresident Commander Ortega, he further warned that these groups are seeking to form political parties with foreign financing in order to attempt a return to power through the electoral process. For this reason, the National Assembly has been instructed to promote legislation that strengthens the revolutionary and democratic process for the election of national and local authorities, ensuring the non intervention of foreign interests in the country’s internal affairs.
Nicaragua reaffirms that it will hold truly free elections, strengthened by genuine popular participation and free from all foreign interference. Our processes of popular election concern solely and exclusively the Nicaraguan people, who have decided to advance with their own model of social justice, aimed at defeating once and for all the poverty inherited from the somocistas of yesterday, today, and always.
As clear as daylight and as transparent as the crystal clear waters of the Nicaraguan Caribbean, Comrade Co President Rosario Murillo emphasized:
“Elections, yes, but our own elections… And when we say our own, we mean those of our blessed people, designed and organized from our national sovereignty to choose the best Nicaraguans.”
This article is inspired by the speech of Commander Co-President of the Republic of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega Saavedra, delivered during the commemoration of the 47th anniversary of the Sandinista Popular Revolution, as well as by the remarks of Co-President Rosario Murillo in her daily briefing on national media.