The proposals come amid an ongoing crackdown by the Ortega government since mass social protests in 2018 that the government violently repressed.

Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega and his wife are set to assume absolute power after loyalist lawmakers Friday approved a constitutional amendment elevating her to the position of "co-president" and boosting the pair's joint control over the state.

Vice-President Rosario Murillo has become the face of the government as her husband rarely makes public appearances.

MANAGUA: Nicaragua's National Assembly has approved president Daniel Ortega's urgent proposal for a general constitutional reform, which encompasses major political and social changes, including the establishment of a joint presidency.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega proposed a constitutional reform to expand presidential powers over other branches of government, according to an official document seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has proposed a constitutional reform to extend presidential powers and terms, incorporating his wife as 'co-president.' The reforms aim to expand control over media and allow military intervention.

The reform, which 79-year-old Ortega sent to Congress on Tuesday "as a matter of urgency" was approved unanimously by 91 Nicaraguan lawmakers. (Reporting by Gabriela Selser; Writing by Sarah Morland;

The Nicaraguan parliament, dominated by the ruling Sandinista Front, on Friday approved a constitutional reform that hands more power to President Daniel Ortega as well as the Central American nation’s police and military.