Gen. Julio César Avilés, the head of the armed forces, declared that the reform enjoys the military’s “firm backing.” The corporate media reported widely that President Daniel Ortega had ordered the outright abolition of elections. Co-president Rosario Murillo, Ortega’s wife, clarified the following day that elections would continue: “Elections, yes, but our own elections... designed and organized based on our national sovereignty.” During the 2018 social protests, student and NGO leaders financed by these programs traveled to Washington to openly receive instructions. The reform is being pushed through at a moment of increased confrontation with Washington and accelerating social crisis.