Panama’s Parliament criticized for changes to electoral reform bill

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Bill 544 reforms the Electoral Code ahead of the 2024 elections, drafted at the request of the Electoral Tribunal (TE) by the National Commission of Electoral Reforms (CNRE), in which all political parties and society are represented.

In the first of the three mandatory discussions in the Legislative, deputies eliminated and modified articles in the bill referring to campaign financing, gender parity and electoral criminal jurisdiction, among other issues, which led the electoral body to abandon the discussion given the “setback” in the matter caused by these parliamentary decisions.

“Given the situation occurring in the National Parliament,” the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (CCIAP), one of the country’s largest business associations, on Tuesday called on the Legislature to “respect institutionality and the democratic system.”

In a statement, the Chamber emphasized that the bill “was discussed for more than a year and agreed upon after 23 sessions of the National Commission of Electoral Reforms, in which the Electoral Tribunal, political parties, a representative of freely nominated candidates, and civil society had a say and vote. This Commission passed 323 articles, which ‘restructure provisions, add and repeal others in the current law’.”

“It is unacceptable that the National Parliament should modify without consultation what was agreed upon in this long process and disrespect one of the main actors,” the CCIAP said, which proposed that the debate be suspended “until there are favorable conditions for a debate in an atmosphere of trust and respect, and in which all players may participate, including, of course, the Electoral Tribunal, a crucial institution in Panamanian democracy.”

For its part, the powerful building workers union Suntracs and allied leftist organizations such as Frenadeso and the Frente Amplio por la Democracia (FAD) called for street demonstrations this Wednesday (8) “against the imposition of new anti-democratic electoral reforms”.

The FAD issued a long communiqué in which it denounced that the successive reforms to Panama’s electoral law have resulted in “cosmetic changes” which favor the elite in power for years, and accused the National Parliament of being “a mafia.”

Opposition Partido Panameñista (Ppa) urged the ruling Partido Revolucionario Democrático (PRD), which holds a parliamentary majority, and the divided Partido Cambio Democrático (CD), “to abandon efforts to make an (electoral) Code to suit their interests.”

“Let us think of Panama and the benefit of the majority,” said the PPa minority party, which maintained that it respects “the constitutional right of the National Parliament to review the bill and propose modifications” but that these “must be widely debated and have the purpose of advancing and improving the electoral norms in force, rather than regressing and impairing them.”

Otro Camino, a party in formation, stated in a press release that the modifications so far introduced to the bill represent “a clear step backwards to democracy, equality of opportunities and equity,” and expressed its support to the Electoral Tribunal magistrates’ decision to withdraw from the parliamentary debate.

The president of the National Parliament, ruling party deputy Crispiano Adames, called on the Electoral Tribunal to resume the debates and reproached it for having left the table arguing that “democracy is in danger.”