According to the director of TE’s Institute for Democratic Studies, Salvador Sánchez, although the Isthmus has experienced voters, one has to be very active in disseminating the information necessary to make the right decision.
He believes, he told the Panama America newspaper, that lifting people out of poverty will ensure that those who vote will have more freedom of choice and will be less susceptible to clientelistic practices.
Although he believes that not all people are victims of clientelism, he noted that it should be fought vigorously, through the electoral authorities and citizens’ complaints.
We have 2024 just around the corner and there is little time to change Panamanian practices, but even if the task is difficult, it must be done, he noted.
Sánchez also pointed out that many Panamanians have lost enthusiasm for democracy and this could affect the functioning of the institutions.
In the same way, he warned that although Channel Country elections are heavily regulated by a code that is regularly reformed, behaviors contrary to the spirit of these processes also occur and that there are rules and sanctions that should be respected when they occur.
He also claimed that voting is like a tool for citizens to reward or punish the authorities or the people who seek to fill positions in the country, which is part of the democratic culture.
“We know that there are many circumstances that necessitate this vote, the first limitations are the lack of information and the economic conditions of the voter,” he concluded.
On May 5, 2024, Panamanians will elect the country’s new president and vice-president, 20 members of the Central American Parliament, 71 members of the National Assembly, 81 mayors, 701 members of the Corregimiento and 11 councillors, all with their alternates. , for the period from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2029.
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