Bill · S. 5369· Senate(119-S-5369)
Restoring Electoral Fairness and Opposition Rights through Mandates for Accountability Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 8/7/2026
- Last activity
- 8/7/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- Sponsored by
- Ted Cruz
- Cosponsors
- - 0 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "Restoring Electoral Fairness and Opposition Rights through Mandates for Accountability Act of 2026," seeks to reauthorize and expand sanctions against the government of Nicaragua. It targets the gold sector of the economy and expands the list of activities that can trigger sanctions, such as the prosecution of religious members or democratic actors. The legislation also adds officials from the Military Institute of Social Security as priority targets. Furthermore, it requires the Secretary of State to conduct an assessment of conditions needed for a democratic transition. The goal is to pressure the Nicaraguan government to hold free elections and cease violence against civilians.
Yes
Does this make elections run better?+5
The bill targets sanctions to encourage free and fair elections in Nicaragua.
Does this favour talking over confrontation abroad?+5
The bill supports diplomatic engagement to resolve the political crisis in Nicaragua.
Does this protect the freedom to practise a religion?+5
The bill expands sanctions to protect those facing prosecution for exercising their religious freedom.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Restoration of Democracy and Human Rights: The bill seeks to support the people of Nicaragua in restoring peace, democracy, and human rights through competitive, free, and fair elections (Section 2, Section 3).
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Protection of Religious Freedom: By expanding the list of activities subject to sanctions to include the arrest or prosecution of people exercising their freedom of religion, the bill aims to protect members of Catholic and Protestant churches (Section 6).
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Protection of Political Actors: The bill targets the conviction and sentencing of individuals who are democratic political actors or members of independent civil society organizations for politically motivated charges (Section 6).
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Ending Violence: The policy of the United States includes seeking a cessation of violence perpetrated against civilians by the National Police of Nicaragua and supported armed groups (Section 3).
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Accountability for Killings: The bill aims to promote independent investigations into the killings of protesters in Nicaragua (Section 3, Section 4).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Economic Restrictions on the Gold Sector: The bill expands sanctions to include those who operate or have operated in the gold sector of the economy of Nicaragua (Section 5).
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Economic Restrictions via Other Sectors: The Secretary of State has the power to identify other sectors of the economy for the purpose of imposing sanctions (Section 5).
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Sanctions on Goods and Services: The bill subjects to sanctions the provision of significant goods, services, or technology that support the Governments of Russia or Iran (Section 6).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Electoral Process+5
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Improves Diplomatic Engagement+5
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Religious Freedom+5
- 8/7/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
Timothy KaineDemocrat · Virginia