Constitutional reform in Nicaragua

A bloc of opposition legislators in Nicaragua is hoping to enact constitutional reform that would limit executive—and therefore Daniel Ortega’s—power. Ortega had tried to pass them before he was president (hoping to weaken Enrique Bolaños) but the opposition had decried the move as unconstitutional. The impasse ended when the two worked out a deal behind closed doors.

Opposition lawmakers, who claim that Ortega's authoritarian ways have marginalized the legislative branch in the past year, now hope to regain some political muscle by reenacting his own reforms against him. The law that temporaril suspended the reforms is due to expire Jan. 20, and lawmakers say they won't renew it.

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Under the reforms, the National Assembly will have the authority to veto any presidential appointment to a government post. The assembly would also have the power to summon any government official to appear before the legislature and deliver progress reports and other information -- an important tool against Ortega's highly secretive administration.

This sounds exactly like the arrangement that emerged in Chile after the 1891 civil war, which pitted the president versus Congress. The congressional opposition cheered the end of presidential tyranny. The result was political inaction and eventually disintegration because it combined the combativeness of a presidential system and the legislative influence of a parliamentary system, but the president had no power over the legislature and coalition building didn’t happen. Ultimately, in 1924 the military (which by that time was angry at all sides) forced out President Arturo Alessandri and the country experienced civil-military governments until 1932.

In other words, this type of reform is not likely to make Nicaragua more governable.