Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has strengthened his grip on power with the parliamentary approval of a constitutional reform that designates his wife, Rosario Murillo, as a co-president. This move, criticized by international observers as an autocratic consolidation, allows for indefinite presidential terms and a shift in the election cycle from five to six years. The reforms come in the wake of violent repression during anti-government protests in 2018, which left over 300 dead, deepening concerns about democratic backsliding in the country.