Panama: The Presidential race is on

PANAMA - In Brief 29 Oct 2018 by Marco Fernandez

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This Sunday, two parties held their primaries: the incumbent Panameñista Party and the hard-liner leftist Frente Amplio por la Democracia (FAD). The major of Panama City, José I. Blandón defeated by an ample margin (56.7% vs. 38.1 %) his main opponent, Mario Etchelecu (former Minister of Housing) and presumed favorite of President Varela. Total votes reached a satisfactory 42 percent of affiliates; Blandón received 91,210. He distanced himself from Varela during the short primary campaign to avoid the backlash of the President’s low acceptance. According to the electoral legislation, Blandón can (and will) return to the major’s office and continue with the public works his administration is doing in Panama City, a condition that gives him an edge against his rivals for the May 2019 Presidential election. Blandón (51) is a Lawyer and activist in his early student years against the Military regimen of Omar Torrijos. Although his party is ideological right-of-center, he promotes in his speeches and actions equality of gender, clean environment and promotion of national culture. Blandón’s program of urban development in the City had mixed results according to the polls: his idea of building more sidewalks at the cost of less urban streets in some commercial areas did not fare well with the population (in addition to the issue of Odebrecht being the main contractor for the plan).The other primary was less relevant in numbers and substance. Saúl Méndez (48) the leader of SUNTRACS, the union of construction workers which was responsible for the month-long strike in April-May of this year won in a landslide. Of only three thousand votes, Méndez received 91.1%. Richard Morales ...