Nicaragua's Congress passed a constitutional reform that bans opposition parties from participating in elections and extends the presidential term from six ​to seven years, an initiative that had previously drawn criticism from ‌the United States and other countries in the region ↧ Nicaraguan Congress passes Ortega-backed reform excluding oppositio... Nicaragua's Congress on Tuesday passed a constitutional reform that bans opposition parties from participating in elections and extends the presidential term from six ​to seven years, an initiative that had previously drawn criticism from ‌the United States and other countries in the region.