Panama will elect a new president Sunday who will inherit Latin America’s fastest-growing economy and rising pressure to reduce inequality in the financial hub that straddles two oceans. Photo coutesy of Telesur
PANAMA CITY, May 4 (NNN-TELESUR) – Seven candidates in total are competing for the presidential office. Voters go to the polls Sunday.
About 80 percent of Panama’s 2.7 million registered voters are expected to cast ballots Sunday to decide the next president for the 2019-2024 term, as well as National Assembly deputies and Parliamentary members.
Of the seven presidential candidates, those leading the polls are Jose Blandon, Laurentino “Nito” Cortizo of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), and Romulo Roux from Cambio Democratico (Democratic Change), as well as the independent runner, Ricardo Lombana.
Ana Matilde Gomez, an independent who is not one of the top contenders according to polls, is the only woman running for the presidential office.
After a two-month campaigning period that ended Thursday, here’s what each of the top four have on offer:
Laurentino Cortizo
Cortizo, 65, leads the polls going into the elections with 49.8 percent of the electorates’ support. A leader of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), during the two-month campaign period Cortizo has largely focused on promises to end government corruption and combat inequality, as he iterated in his final campaign rally.
“A decade of corruption, incompetence and lies is over,” the long-time politician and minister of agriculture during the Martin Torrijos Espino presidency told a group of supporters Wednesday night in Panama City.
The Cortizo campaign has also pledged to establish a new office called ProPanama within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which would work with embassies, consulates and foreign investors to restore faith in the country in the aftermath of corruption scandals, such as the Panama Papers and Odebrecht, Juvy Cano, a Cortizo campaign spokesperson told Al Jazeera.
Romulo Roux
Roux, 54, is in second place in the polls with 26.4 percent of voters’ preference.
The opponent is one of the favorites to win the presidential elections in Panama. He closed his campaign Thursday with the promise of ending the “disaster” attributed to Juan Carlos Varela’s government and the historical party PRD.
“Today we have an economic and social disaster, we have a country without prosperity, that disaster has a name: Juan Carlos Varela and Laurentino Cortizo,” said Roux.
The former foreign affairs minister says he’ll seek, if he comes to power, to reform the Constitution to consolidate the judiciary, after the country was shaken by a national bribery scandal that involved some 80 politicians receiving favors and kickbacks from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht.
Roux is backed by jailed ex-President Ricardo Martinelli who is being accused of accused of spying on and intercepting communications from over 150 journalists, opponents and activists during his 2009-2014 term. Martinelli was only banned from running in late April.
The Democratic Change candidate says he aims to make social security funding more sustainable.
Ricardo Lombana
Lombana, 45, is ranked third in the polls with 10.5 percent in his favor. He aspires to the presidency independent of any party. His plan, if elected, would include ways to combat corruption, and make “quality and inclusive” health and education programs more available to citizens, TVN media reports.
“We have made a campaign that has said unquestionable truths,” Lombana told a rally. “I am angry about the things that happen in a country so rich and kidnapped by corruption.”
A part of the candidate’s campaign platform was to try to assure voters he wouldn’t spend money to mobilize people to the polls, expecting a voluntary presence instead.
Jose Blandon
Blandon, 51, is the former mayor of Panama City. In fourth place as of Friday, he proposed to convene a Constituent Assembly to make a “profound change” in all sectors of the country.
Blandon said that if elected president of Panama, he would call a referendum to consult people whether or not they want a Constituent Assembly.
“I have prepared for years for this moment. I know the monster very well from inside. That’s why I know that our political system has collapsed that we have to replace it with a new one. It is more efficient and transparent to fight against corruption and cronyism. The country is built on legitimate and credible public institutions,” Blandon said in a 2018 speech.
The center-right candidate also proposes to modernize the educational system and facilitate the creation of businesses.
NNN-TELESUR
