Panama - Elections 05 May 2024
Panamanians cast their ballots on May 5, 2024, in a single-round election, the seventh since US troops invaded Panama in 1989 to topple the dictatorship of Manuel Antonio Noriega. Current President Laurentino Cortizo is barred from seeking re-election.
Panama is a multiparty constitutional democracy. In 2019 voters chose Laurentino Cortizo Cohen as president in national elections that international and domestic observers considered generally free and fair. National legislators, mayors, local representatives, and council members were elected at the same time. A group of observers from the Organization of American States, the EU, electoral NGOs, regional electoral authorities, and the diplomatic corps considered the elections to be fair and transparent.
The country has no military forces. The Panama National Police is principally responsible for internal law enforcement and public order, and the National Border Service handles border security. Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: serious problems with the independence of the judiciary; serious restrictions on free expression and media, including threats to enforce criminal libel laws to limit expression; serious government corruption; and laws barring consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults in some security forces that were unenforced.
In June 2022 the Institutional Protection Service (SPI), a governmental security agency that protects the president, some ministers, and presidential facilities, forced picnic-goers representing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) civil society groups to remove a Pride flag from a public park. LGBTQI+ activists alleged that the SPI specifically targeted their flag because it was an LGBTQI+ symbol.
The law provides criminal penalties for corruption by officials, and mechanisms exist to punish officials who commit human rights abuses, but the government did not take effective steps to identify, investigate, prosecute, and punish officials who committed human rights abuses or engaged in corruption.
There were no reports of political prisoners or detainees. There were no reports the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings. There were no reports of disappearances by or on behalf of government authorities. Impunity existed among security forces due to weak and decentralized internal control mechanisms for conduct and enforcement, in addition to a culture of corruption. Prison conditions remained harsh due to gross overcrowding, insufficient internal security, a shortage of prison guards, lack of potable water, inadequate medical services, and poor sanitary conditions.
While the law provides for an independent judiciary, the lack of criminal convictions for corruption reinforced widespread public opinion that the judicial system was susceptible to internal and external corruption. Most allegations of manipulation of the justice system continued to be related to the influence of political actors.
Media associations expressed concern regarding what they claimed was government institutions’ use of the data protection law to impede the publication of information of public interest and to avoid sharing information with the press. Leaders of media group Corprensa noted that government institutions had refused to provide information on issues of public interest, claiming the data protection law prohibits them from sharing information.
Ten candidates qualified to vie for the presidency of Panama, meeting a deadline that set the stage for the May 2024 elections, the Electoral Tribunal said on 30 July 2023. The last candidates to qualify were lawyer and journalist Ricardo Lombana (center right), legislator Zulay Rodriguez of the ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party, leftist teacher Maribel Gordon and the former minister of commerce Meliton Arrocha (center right). Lombana was chosen by the leadership of the Another Road Movement while Rodriguez, Gordon and Arrocha qualified by gathering the most signatures on petitions.
The Tribunal recognized the candidacy of Jose Alberto Alvarez, a rightist from the small Independent Social Alternative Party (PAIS). Also aspiring to lead the nation are former presidents Ricardo Martinelli (rightist) and Martin Torrijos (center right), current Vice President Jose Gabriel Carrizo (social democrat), former foreign secretary Romulo Roux (right) and former Panama City mayor Jose Isabel Blandon (center right).
Polls showed Martinelli, who governed from 2009 to 2014, to be the frontrunner -- although his fate grew unclear after a judge sentenced him earlier this month to more than 10 years in jail for money laundering, which his lawyers are appealing. During the appeal, Martinelli remained free to continue his campaign. But he faced a separate trial next month over alleged bribe payments during his presidency from the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht for public works projects in Panama. Odebrecht pleaded guilty in 2016 to a massive bribery scheme in at least 10 countries and agreed to pay $2.6 billion in restitution to US, Brazilian and Swiss authorities.
On 27 February 2024, in Panama, the first presidential debate was held with 7 of the 8 candidates for power. The main themes were citizen insecurity, sustainable development, the Social Security Fund (SSC), quality education and unemployment. The participants in the presidential debate were: Ricardo Lombana, from the Movimiento Otro Camino (MOCA); José Gabriel Carrizo, from the Partido Revolucionario Democrático (PRD); former president Martín Torrijos (2004-2009), from the Partido Popular (PP) and Rómulo Roux, from Cambio Democrático (CD) and the Panamanian Party, in addition to Maribel Gordón, Zulay Rodríguez and Melitón Arrocha for free nomination.
The debate was characterized by insults, humiliation and personal attacks, but it also had general ideas before the 5 May elections. All the candidates agreed on the fight against unemployment, the main scourge of Panamanian society. Despite the importance of this issue, the time devoted to addressing it was very short, which is the focus of questions and complaints. In Panama, according to official figures, the presence of unemployment is currently 7.4 percent, since youth unemployment reaches a rate of 15 percent, being higher among women, and informality is 47.4 percent.
The next two presidential debates were scheduled for 13 March and 17 April. The second will be popular participation and the third will deal with issues of economy and democracy.
On the other hand, candidate Ricardo Martinelli, former president from 2009 to 2014, was absent due to his isolation in the Nicaraguan embassy and faces the 10-year sentence he faces for money laundering and corruption. Martinelli received a conviction for money laundering resulting in over 10 years of prison. The two sons of former Panama President Ricardo Martinelli were sentenced 20 May 2022 to three years in prison on Friday for their role in a bribery scheme involving the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.
Electoral authorities received a copy of the judicial ruling in the 'New Business' case, in which Martinelli was sentenced to over 10 years in prison and a fine of US$19.2 million for money laundering related to the irregular purchase of Editorial Panama America (EPASA) with public funds. The sentence became final on February 2nd, and Martinelli sought asylum in the Nicaraguan embassy on February 7th, claiming political persecution to avoid participating in the elections with his "Achieving Goals" party. Nicaragua granted him asylum. Panama, however, denied Martinelli a safe conduct and expressed concern about his attempt to influence local politics from the Nicaraguan embassy.
While Martinelli had been acquitted twice in a telephone espionage case known as 'Pinchazos', he and his sons still face trial for money laundering related to bribes paid by the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. The former Panamanian president is also being investigated in Spain for corruption due to bribes paid by the construction company FCC and for spying on a woman in Mallorca.
On 04 March 2024, the Electoral Tribunal of Panama (TE) disqualified former President Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014) as a candidate for the presidential elections to be held on May 5th. He will also not be able to run as a legislator. This occurred because Martinelli had previously received a conviction for money laundering resulting in over 10 years of prison. TE President Alfredo Junca stated that the decision was made after over ten hours of deliberation and in compliance with the Panamanian constitution and electoral code.
In place of Martinelli, politician Jose Raul Mulino will occupy the slot for the Achieving Goals and Alliance parties as a presidential candidate without a vice president on the ballot. In the legislative lists, Alejandro Perez will occupy Martinelli's slot as the "principal candidate for legislator without a substitute." The Electoral Tribunal also ordered the removal of all campaign propaganda in which Martinelli appears as a candidate for the presidency and as a candidate for national legislator.
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