Amnesty International on Thursday raised alarm after Nicaragua’s announcement of a constitutional reform initiative that threatens to erase the country’s remaining democratic safeguards, extending presidential terms and permanently barring opponents from elections. President Daniel Ortega and co‑president Rosario Murillo have been accused of widespread abuses, from jailing critics to stripping political opponents of their possessions. President Ortega, now ruling with his wife the “co-president” Rosario Murillo, has been in power since 2007. Nicaragua is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), having acceded to it on March 12, 1980. According to Amnesty International, the measures undermine democratic governance and violate the civil right of Nicaraguan citizens to participate in political activities.