Security & Strategic Review - January 2026

Seven magistrates in Nicaragua’s supreme court (CSJ) have resigned within a matter of weeks since 20 November. The departures are in line with a purge of the judiciary (which like all of the country’s institutions is controlled by co-presidents Daniel Ortega and First Lady Rosario Murillo) which began in October 2023 [SSR-24-02]. This in turn has been attributed to efforts by Murillo to appoint allies loyal to her at the CSJ as she positions herself in the line of succession to take over from her 80-year-old husband, who reportedly suffers from lupus and kidney failure.