Exiled Commander Warns Murillo Cannot Sustain Power Without Ortega

Mónica Baltodano, a former Sandinista guerrilla commander now in exile in Costa Rica, asserts that Nicaragua’s co-president Rosario Murillo will not survive politically after the death of her husband, President Daniel Ortega. In an interview, Baltodano described the current regime as more closed and totalitarian than the former Somoza dictatorship, comparing it to North Korea due to its suppression of independent institutions and persecution of the Catholic Church. She characterized Ortega as intellectually mediocre and obsessed with power, while labeling Murillo as cruel with sociopathic traits. Baltodano argued that Murillo relies on Ortega’s iconic status to maintain control over state apparatuses, which she claims are used primarily for repression rather than governance. With Ortega suffering from serious health issues at age 80, opponents fear Murillo is conducting internal purges to secure her position. However, Baltodano believes the ruling party no longer functions as a genuine political organization but as a tool for manipulation, suggesting that significant potential for popular rebellion remains suppressed by terror. The interview highlights the deepening crisis within Nicaragua’s leadership and the precarious future of its authoritarian structure.