No dancing, no slogans, and at a slow pace: Daniel Ortega reappears after 68 days of absence

(Photo courtesy of Nicaraguan state channels) Daniel Ortega appeared in public again this November 9, after 68 days without participating in official events, during a tribute to Carlos Fonseca Amador in Managua. In images released by pro-government media, the Nicaraguan dictator walked slowly, did not sing or dance during the ceremony, and kept a serious expression while a group of Sandinista youth sang a song for his 81st birthday, which falls on Wednesday, November 11. Ortega's presence put an end to his longest period away from the public scene since his return to power in 2007. His last appearance had been on September 2, at the event marking the 47th anniversary of the Nicaraguan Army. The politician attended the tribute alongside his wife, co-dictator Rosario Murillo, at the mausoleum dedicated to Fonseca Amador, founder of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). The ceremony took place one day after the party events marking the 50th anniversary of the Sandinista leader's death. Ortega spoke briefly to those in attendance and praised the loyalty of the Sandinista Youth to Fonseca. "Carlos: here are the young people, the ones who will never forget, the ones who will never betray you, the ones who will always be loyal to you until death," he said before shouting: "Long live Commander Carlos Fonseca!" Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo walk surrounded by sympathizers during the commemoration of a Sandinista holiday event, and young people took the opportunity to sing in advance for his birthday. Daniel Ortega does not celebrate with them and moves forward slowly. The scene carried a second political charge due to the proximity of Ortega's birthday. Sandinista youth sang to him during the event, but the dictator did not join in the chants or make any celebratory gestures. He remained next to Murillo, showing little visible reaction to the tribute. The pro-government channels and platforms broadcast the event as a demonstration of continuity in the political leadership of the regime. However, the brief appearance included no explanations about his absence of more than two months nor any references to his state of health. The EFE news agency reported that Ortega led the televised event without detailing the reasons for his withdrawal from the official agenda. The appearance came after the head of state missed customary dates on the Sandinista and state calendar, including Independence festivities activities, the Army parade, and National Police commemorations. (Photo courtesy of Nicaraguan state channels) Before this reappearance, Ortega had been absent from the reception of the Central American Torch of Freedom, held on September 12. The event was led by his children Maurice and Camila Ortega Murillo, even though Murillo had announced that the co-presidency would take part in the ceremony. There was also no central event led by the governing couple to commemorate the Battle of San Jacinto and Nicaragua's Independence. In November, Ortega was also absent from the party event on November 8, the anniversary of Carlos Fonseca's death, declared a national holiday that year. Monday's tribute was his first public activity since the military event in September. The choice of Fonseca's anniversary, a central figure in Sandinista symbolism, allowed the ruling party to bring Ortega back in a ceremony with strong party content and participation from its youth base. A count by Confidencial, a Nicaraguan opposition outlet, recorded 11 public appearances by Ortega between January and November 2026, compared with an average of 26 between January and October each year in the 2018-2025 period. The outlet tallied 264 appearances since 2018 and noted that the leader's periods of absence lengthened over the years. According to that record, before 2020 the longest absence had been 37 days. Then came periods of 52, 55, and 61 days, up to the 66 days counted as of November 7. The November 9 reappearance raised the interval without public events to 68 days, according to EFE. During that period, Murillo maintained her usual appearances on pro-government media and announced state, party, and administrative activities. At the same time, the governing couple's son, Laureano Ortega Murillo, took on greater visibility in diplomatic and commercial meetings, according to Confidencial's monitoring. (Photo courtesy of Nicaraguan state channels) Ortega's absences fueled speculation about his health, although neither the dictatorial family nor government institutions issued official information to confirm it. Divergentes, a Nicaraguan investigative and communications outlet, reported on November 7 that Sandinista sources attributed the reduction in his appearances to complications associated with age and a chronic illness, though it clarified that it could not independently corroborate the more specific rumors about his condition. The November 9 reappearance did not clear up those questions. The images showed Ortega present at the tribute, with limited interventions and slow movement, while Murillo played a leading role during the ceremony. Ortega will turn 81 on November 11, in a context in which his public activity has decreased and several of the events he used to lead have been placed under the direction of Murillo, his children, or regime officials.