In Nicaragua, president proposes constitutional amendment to enhance executive control of police

[Original in Spanish] The deputies loyal to Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo will discuss and approve this Wednesday, July 5, a constitutional reform sent by the Sandinista Executive to modify article 97, which delimits the legal framework of the National Police. [...] Although in practice the change may be insignificant, since the Police have been the main repressive arm of the president [...] since 2018, at the regulatory level it represents a major change. [...] The constitutional amendment now establishes that "the National Police is an armed body, subordinate to the President of the Republic, in charge of protecting the lives of the country's inhabitants, preserving social order and internal order, guaranteeing the safety of people and institutions, ensure respect for national, social, and private property, exercise prevention, prosecution, and investigation of crime, and provide the necessary assistance to civil and judicial authorities to fulfill the performance of their duties." In addition, they highlight the police submission to the Executive apparatus. "The National Police depends on the authority exercised by the President of the Republic, in his capacity as Supreme Chief and in strict adherence to the Political Constitution to which he will maintain respect and obedience." [...] To adapt to the constitutional change, the deputies will also modify Law 872, under which the National Police is governed and ordered. [...] The addition of desertion occurs in a context in which dozens of police officers have fled the ranks of the institution and are escaping to other countries, such as the United States and Costa Rica. [...] The new article establishes that "police personnel who leave the service, which is considered desertion, incurring serious damage to citizen security, will be punished with a sentence of two to three years in prison." 
Read the full article here: El País