10 candidates qualified to participate in Panama's presidential elections

On Sunday, the Panamanian electoral authorities approved the candidacies of ten individuals who will vie for the presidential position in the upcoming elections scheduled for May 2024.

Among the latest candidates to be given the green light by the Electoral Court to participate in the presidential race are lawyer and journalist Ricardo Lumbana (right-center), Deputy Zulay Rodriguez from the ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party, left-wing educator Maribel Gourdon, and former Minister of Commerce, Meliton Arrocha (right-center).

Lumbana was selected by the "Alternative Path" movement's leadership, while Rodriguez, Gourdon, and Arrocha qualified by gathering the highest number of signatures on their petitions.

On Saturday, the court also approved the candidacy of Jose Alberto Alfaro, a right-wing politician from the small "Independent Social Alternative" party.

The race to lead the country also includes former presidents Ricardo Martinelli (right-wing) and Martin Torrijos (right-center), current Vice President Jose Gabriel Carrizo (social democrat), former Foreign Minister Romulo Roux (right-wing), and former Panama City Mayor Jose Isabel Blandon (right-center).

Panamanians will head to the polls to elect their president on May 5, 2024, in a one-round election, marking the seventh such election since the 1989 US invasion of Panama, which ousted dictator Manuel Noriega.

The current president, Laurentino Cortizo, is prohibited from seeking re-election for a second term.

Opinion polls indicate that Martinelli, who governed from 2009 to 2014, is the frontrunner candidate despite his fate being uncertain due to a recent court ruling sentencing him to more than 10 years in prison on money laundering charges. His lawyers are currently appealing the sentence.

During the appeal process, Martinelli is allowed to continue his campaign. However, he is set to face a separate trial next month for alleged bribery during his presidency involving Brazil's giant construction company, Odebrecht, in exchange for granting projects in Panama.

The company admitted guilt in 2016 for paying massive bribes in at least 10 countries and agreed to pay a $2.6 billion fine as restitution to US, Brazilian, and Swiss authorities.

Many of Martinelli's opponents have started negotiations to form a potential alliance with the aim of preventing his return to power.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP