Nicaragua congress gives final approval to sweeping constitutional reforms

By Gabriela Selser

(Reuters) – Constitutional reforms proposed by Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega to further consolidate power by extending his control over other parts of government won final approval on Thursday, after a unanimous vote.

The reforms have been defended by government allies as deepening a nearly 50-year-old revolution, but blasted by critics as a power grab from an increasingly dictatorial family dynasty.

(Reporting by Gabriela Selser; Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Kylie Madry)