OAS council approves call for foreign ministers’ meeting on Nicaragua crackdown

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) voted to summon hemispheric foreign ministers for an emergency session on Nicaragua following President Daniel Ortega’s vow to end elections and ongoing concerns about government pressure on the Catholic Church.

The council adopted the resolution , “Convocation of a Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs to Consider the Situation in Nicaragua,” on Aug. 19 in a 29-1 vote among member states, with only Brazil voting against the measure and Mexico abstaining. Haiti and Venezuela were absent.

Argentina, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay, and the United States advanced the measure after presenting it at an Aug. 5 special session of the OAS Permanent Council. The U.S. is calling for the meeting to take place before Sept. 1, when the Ortega regime is set to codify its latest policy reforms, including the suspension of future elections.

The move invokes one of the OAS’ highest‑level diplomatic tools, signaling that member states view Nicaragua’s political rupture as a regional concern with direct human rights implications. It comes after Ortega’s announcement and other constitutional changes aimed at…