Nicaragua announces withdrawal from Central American Parliament

Nicaragua’s foreign ministry announced on Saturday that the country will withdraw from the Central American Parliament (Parlamento Centroamericano, PARLACEN), invoking “the full exercise of its sovereignty.” The decision, which takes effect immediately, terminates Nicaragua’s participation in the six‑nation legislative body created by the 1987 treaty that seeks to promote regional cooperation, human rights and democracy.

The withdrawal follows a resolution adopted on Friday by the Organization of American States (OAS) that called on Nicaraguan authorities to free political prisoners and restore civil liberties. The OAS resolution was part of a broader international criticism of the Ortega‑Murillo government’s record on human rights, which has been under scrutiny since the country’s political crisis erupted in April 2018. The crisis began with widespread protests that were violently suppressed, resulting in more than 350 deaths, roughly 2,000 injuries, thousands of arrests and a significant exodus of citizens.

Nicaragua’s decision to leave PARLACEN adds to a series of recent exits from regional and global organisations. The government withdrew from the OAS in 2023, describing the body as a tool for U.S. interventionism, and in 2025 it announced its departure from the United Nations Human Rights Council after a UN report urged the international community to address alleged violations. The same report, released in September, documented at least eight deaths linked to state actions, including allegations of torture and extrajudicial killings.

President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, have increasingly consolidated power, including a July announcement that the country would no longer hold elections. International observers have accused the administration of using state mechanisms to target critics, imprison dissenters, and force opponents into exile. The government did not immediately respond to a request for further comment on the PARLACEN withdrawal.

The move is expected to deepen Nicaragua’s diplomatic isolation, as the country faces mounting pressure from regional bodies and human‑rights organisations to address the ongoing concerns over civil freedoms and political repression.