Green light for the candidacy of Martinelli’s replacement, favorite in the Panamanian elections

O supreme court of justice (CSJ) of Panama declared constitutional this Friday, in extremis, the right-wing presidential candidacy José Raúl Mulinoreplaces disqualified former president Ricardo Martinelli and favorite for Sunday’s elections.

After three days of closed-door sessions and just two days before the vote, the Court’s magistrates announced, in the early hours of the morning in front of the press, that “it is not unconstitutional” the decision of the Electoral Court that accepted the nomination of the Mulino.

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64 year old lawyer, Mulino substituted Martinelli as party candidate Accomplishing Goals (RM, initials of the former ruler), after being disqualified after his sentence of almost 11 years in prison for money laundering was confirmed, and having sought asylum at the Embassy of Nicaragua.

A private lawyer then filed an unconstitutionality action against the candidacy of Mulinoarguing that he did not go through primary elections nor has a candidate for vice president, as established by law.

The court’s decision kept the country in suspense in the final stretch of the elections for which three of the candidates are called. 4.4 million Panamanians elect president, in a single round and by simple majority, 71 deputies and local governments.

Maria Eugenia Lopezpresident of CSJargued that the resolution seeks to protect “democracy” and “sovereign will of the Panamanian people”.

“I feel very happy because truth, law and justice always prevails in the end”wrote Martinelli in X, highlighting that the “right decision” of the Court “will ensure that democracy is respected.” Your dolphin hasn’t reacted yet.

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“Pact of impunity”

Mulinoformer Minister of Security of the government of Martinelli (2009-2014), has 37.6% voting intentions, according to the office’s latest survey Planned Marketing published Thursday by the newspaper La Prensa.

He is followed, with 16.4%, by the former social-democratic president Martin Torrijos (2004-2009), son of the leader Omar Torrijoswho negotiated with U.S the return of the channel Panama; and center-right lawyers Romulo Roux (14.9%) and Ricardo Lombana (12.7%).

Torrijos, Roux and Lombana They asked Panamanians to vote against the “impunity pact“, when describing the decision of the Court.

Mulino He avoided saying what he would do with the former ruler, but would have the power to issue safe conduct for him to leave the Nicaraguan legation.

According to company research Doxa65% of Panamanians believe that if they win Mulino It will be the former president who will govern in the shadows.

The Panamanian salsero Ruben’s Blades This Friday he appealed to his compatriots not to vote for whoever he described as “forehead of someone declared corrupt”.

“The electoral situation is clear“, but “politics is tangled“, according to the sociologist Daniel Touro. “In a serious country“The credibility of justice and electoral authorities must not be undermined,” he told AFP.

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“Mulino is Martinelli!”

Mulino inherited the support of the people Martinelliwhose supporters claim that during his government there was a economic expansiondriven by the expansion of Panama and the construction of the first subway in Central America.

“People are really giving 100% support Mulino because Martinelli I decided to put this to him.” as a candidate, Rigoberto Acevedo, a 27-year-old law student, told AFP that he believes the former ruler is suffering “political persecution”.

Despite having obtained asylum, Martinelli campaigned for elections and the Panamanian government’s protest against Nicaragua was futile. Last Sunday he participated, through a video, in the closing of the Mulino.

“Martinelli is Mulino and Mulino is Martinelli”is the party’s campaign motto RMwhich goes to the elections in coalition with the Alianza minority.

Mulino He was in preventive prison between 2015 and 2016, for corruption, but He was released due to procedural errors. He guarantees that during that period it was a “political prisoner”.

He was minister of Government and Justice, and was chancellor during the first Panamanian government after the fall of the former dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega in 1989.

The president in the next five years will have to face the challenges of a country affected by corruption, the migration crisis in the jungle of Darienthe high cost of living, the deterioration of basic services and the drought that affects the canal due to climate change.

The polls will be open from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm local time (12:00 pm to 9:00 pm GMT).

Source: Elcomercio

jack

I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.