The legislative election and the Mulino inaugural speech: we give the benefit of the doubt with mixed feelings

PANAMA - In Brief 02 Jul 2024 by Marco Fernandez
As anticipated, the ad-hoc coalition that favored the government of José Raúl Mulino won the Presidency of the Assembly with 44 votes by electing Dana Castañeda, a last-minute candidate, supported by Ricardo Martinelli directly and (his) Realizando Metas party as a group. This election confirms Martinelli´s political power. Table 1 shows the voting results: Mr. Carlos Alvarado, son of a founder of the PRD Party, was elected with 47 votes Secretary General of the Legislative. Alvarado's election was the price the PRD demanded in exchange for supporting Dana Castañeda as president. The Assembly's Secretariat is crucial in the administration of the institution's resources and the control of the legislative agenda. The composition of the Budget and Credentials committees will follow in the coming days; they are formed in proportion to the size of the parliamentary groups. The downside of what happened yesterday is that traditional politics prevailed, albeit with some new faces. President Mulino's reform package could have two paths in the Assembly: one with the backing of the traditional politicians and the other with the support of Vamos. If the coalition holds, that will help President Mulino in the advancement of key reforms. "Traditional" deputies tend to be more motivated by the deals they can make with the executive on a case-by-case basis. We anticipate support for Mulino from most legislators, including some austerity projects on which Vamos would go along with Mulino and his Cabinet. The President's Speech It was an expanded replica of the one he presented when he was declared the winner in May. It lacked ideological content and was more of a catalog of promises, ...

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