Nicaragua's 74-year-old president hasn't been seen in more than a month

• Nicaragua's 74-year-old president hasn't been seen since March 12.
• His disappearance has been particularly concerning given the coronavirus pandemic, which the Nicaraguan has not addressed through major policies.
• According to Human Rights Watch, Ortega is "the only Latin American leader who has not made a single public announcement on how his government would address the pandemic."
• Ortega has disappeared from the public view before, and some suspect his absences are due to chronic illnesses.
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The president of Nicaragua, 74-year-old Daniel Ortega, hasn't been seen in public since March 12, and his unknown whereabouts have sparked rumors and controversy.

Amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, Ortega's disappearance has prompted rumors that the Latin American leader has been in quarantine or ill, according to The New York Times.

He was conspicuously absent from the recent funeral of an old friend and former jail cellmate, Jacinto Suárez, with whom he worked to overthrow the dictator Anastasio Somoza in the 1970s.

His disappearance has even sparked a meme on social media, with users joking, "Be like Ortega: Stay home," according to the Times.

Human Rights Watch has decried Ortega's lack of a response to the coronavirus pandemic, noting in a statement that he is "the only Latin American leader who has not made a single public announcement on how his government would address the pandemic."

The disappearance has prompted concern that Nicaragua is without strong leadership amid a public health crisis. Unlike many other nations, Nicaragua hasn't imposed social-distancing policies such as closing businesses or encouraging residents to stay home.

So far, the Nicaraguan government has reported just nine coronavirus cases and one death, CNN reported.

Ortega has disappeared in the past without explanation and many suspect he has chronic illnesses, according to the Times.

The leader of a Nicaraguan opposition group, Juan Sebastián Chamorro, has criticized Ortega's absence and suggested it was a ploy to shore up public support.

"I think it is in preparation for his glorious appearance," Chamorro told the Times last week. "He has done similarly in the past. He will resurrect on Easter."

Yet Easter came and went without a peep from Ortega.

Nicaragua's vice president, Rosario Murillo, who is also Ortega's wife, has hosted daily briefings and recently assured the public that Ortega is "here, working, directing, coordinating all the efforts," according to The Times.

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