WASHINGTON, Sept 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. urges international partners to immediately stop "business as usual" operations with Nicaragua's government, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that Washington remains committed to addressing violations of human rights by the government.
Rubio's comments come after Nicaragua's Congress on Tuesday passed a constitutional reform that bans opposition parties from participating in elections and extends the presidential term from six to seven years, an initiative that had previously drawn criticism from the United States and other countries in the region.
(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya and Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Katharine Jackson)
