The process of personalization in Nicaragua: Lessons from the hybrid regime.

This article analyzes the formation of personalization in Nicaragua’s political regime under Daniel Ortega, emphasizing that domestic factors primarily drive this process, while international influences reinforce it. It argues that Ortega’s personalization evolved over the long term, rooted in Nicaragua’s traditional power-sharing duopoly and the personalization of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) after losing power, rather than short-term populist tactics. The study highlights how Ortega extended party personalization to regime personalization within a hybrid authoritarian-democratic system, consolidating power through institutional reforms, control over security forces, and patronage networks, supported initially by Venezuelan aid and later challenged by international sanctions. The article concludes that Nicaragua’s hybrid regime facilitated personalization, suggesting that such dynamics may signal broader risks for democracy in similar Latin American contexts.