MANAGUA, Nicaragua – President Daniel Ortega modified the national budget by decree, sparking criticism from opposition lawmakers for acting on reforms that first need to pass through the Legislative Assembly.

However, the legislature, the government argued, has been gridlocked since the Nov. 9 municipal – deemed a resounding victory for the ruling Sandinistas and a fraud by opposition groups – which poses an obstacle for much needed reforms in the face of the global financial crisis.

“The current legislative paralysis is impeding the approval of the economic laws that are in the public's and Nicaraguan people's best interest,” said a Dec. 26 letter from Ortega to Finance Minister Alberto Guevara, instructing the finance chief to make certain, unspecified changes in this year's budget, reported the daily El Nuevo Diario.

Eduardo Montealegre, the Liberal Constitutional Party's (PLC) former candidate for mayor of Managua, said Ortega “has shown once more the will of a dictator.”

PLC legislator Wilfredo Navarro called the move a “de facto coup” by the executive against the legislature.