Nicaragua Leaves the Central American Parliament After OAS Rebuke
NICARAGUA · DIPLOMACY
Key Facts
- —The country Nicaragua, Central America’s largest country by area, is ruled by co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, a married couple.
- —The institution The Central American Parliament, known as Parlacen, is the regional assembly of Central American integration, based in Guatemala City since 1991.
- —Why now The step came one day after the OAS demanded free elections and prisoner releases in Nicaragua on Friday 2 October.
- —What happened On Saturday 3 October 2026 Nicaragua said it was denouncing Parlacen’s founding treaty with immediate effect, La Página and Infobae reported.
- —The numbers Six countries elect 20 deputies each to Parlacen. Costa Rica never ratified the 1987 founding treaty.
- —What it means for you No change to trade, travel or border rules has been announced; Parlacen is a forum for debate, not a customs body.
- —Still open How Parlacen handles Nicaragua’s seats, and whether Managua’s next step targets other regional bodies.
Nicaragua is leaving the Central American Parliament, the regional assembly known as Parlacen, its government announced on Saturday 3 October 2026. The foreign ministry called the move an exercise of “full sovereignty”, Infobae reported.
The announcement came a day after foreign ministers of the Organization of American States (OAS) demanded free elections in Nicaragua. They also called for the release of political prisoners.
What Nicaragua Announced
Nicaragua’s foreign ministry said it was denouncing the treaty that created the Central American Parliament, the legal route out. That treaty was signed in Guatemala on 2 October 1987.
Managua formally notified Guatemala’s foreign ministry, which holds the treaty as its depositary, La Página reported. It also informed Parlacen’s governing board and asked that every member state be told.
La Página and Diario La Huella both reported that the decision takes immediate effect. The note was sent in the name of the government led by Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.
What the Central American Parliament Is
Parlacen is the parliament of the Central American Integration System (SICA), the umbrella body for regional cooperation. It held its first session in Guatemala City on 28 October 1991.
Its full members are the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, each with 20 elected deputies. Former presidents and vice-presidents also take seats after leaving office.
Costa Rica never ratified the founding treaty and has no seats. Infobae describes the assembly as a body for regional political representation and debate, not a law-making chamber for national governments.
Nicaragua once used it as a stage. In August 2023 Parlacen backed a Nicaraguan proposal and replaced Taiwan’s observer status with China’s.
A Long Line of Exits
The decision fits a pattern. Nicaragua left the OAS in November 2023, so the regional body’s new resolution carries no sanctions against Managua.
In 2025 alone the government quit five international bodies, Confidencial counted. They were the FAO food agency, the UN Human Rights Council, the International Labour Organization, the International Organization for Migration and UNESCO.
In March 2025 Nicaragua also withdrew from the Central American Court of Justice, the region’s integration court. That followed its failure to get a Nicaraguan candidate elected secretary general of SICA, EFE reported.
The SICA post had been vacant since November 2023 because members could not agree on Managua’s nominees. Several of these exits came after criticism of the government or a lost vote inside the body concerned.
Losing Ground Inside the Assembly
Managua’s allies had already lost weight inside the assembly. In October 2025 right-leaning deputies won 10 of the 12 seats on its governing board, La Prensa of Nicaragua reported.
Guatemala’s Karla Gutiérrez won the presidency that month with 68 votes. Two Sandinista-aligned Nicaraguan deputies, Daniel Ortega Reyes and Aida Blanco, kept board seats as the only members from the left.
Ortega Reyes had presided over Parlacen in 2021 and 2022, the paper noted. By late 2025 a Panamanian deputy was blaming past “errors and abuses” for the Nicaraguan bloc’s loss of influence.
A Smaller Regional Parliament
Nicaragua is not the only member stepping back. El Salvador’s Legislative Assembly approved a constitutional reform in 2025 to take the country out of the Central American Parliament.
In May 2026 Salvadoran lawmakers moved to drop the election of Parlacen deputies from the February 2027 vote, Infobae reported. With two of six members on the way out, the assembly faces fresh questions about its relevance.
Parlacen has divided its members before. In 2024 Guatemala and Panama opposed giving Russia observer status there, as covered in Central American Split Deepens Over Russian Observer Status.
What the Exit Does Not Change
The reported note concerns the Central American Parliament only. It does not mention SICA’s economic institutions, trade rules or the movement of people across borders.
Nor does the exit lift the diplomatic pressure on Managua. The OAS resolution of 2 October demands the release of political prisoners, the return of stripped nationality and credible elections.
What Comes Next
Guatemala, as depositary, now has to pass Nicaragua’s notice to the other members. Parlacen’s board will then have to settle what happens to the Nicaraguan seats.
The OAS process also continues. Under the resolution, a group of ministers has up to 60 days to recommend diplomatic and legal steps on Nicaragua.
The open question is whether Managua answers that pressure with further exits from regional bodies. So far its note names only the Central American Parliament.
More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
What is the Central American Parliament?
The Central American Parliament, or Parlacen, is the regional assembly of the Central American Integration System, based in Guatemala City. Six countries elect 20 deputies each, and Costa Rica is not a member.
Why did Nicaragua leave Parlacen?
The foreign ministry cited only the “full exercise of its sovereignty”. The announcement came one day after an OAS resolution demanded free elections and the release of political prisoners.
Does the exit affect travel or business in Nicaragua?
No change to travel, trade or border rules has been announced. The Central American Parliament debates regional issues but does not set customs or visa rules.
Sources: La Página, 3 October 2026; Infobae, 4 October 2026; Diario La Huella, 3 October 2026; Confidencial, 5 May 2025; EFE via Infobae, 27 March 2025; La Prensa, 25 October 2025; Infobae, 13 May 2026.
This article was drafted with automated assistance and reviewed before publication. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief