The groups of the United People’s Alliance for Life reached the Presidency of the Republic for the third time to ask the head of state Laurentino Cortizo to veto the pact with the subsidiary of the Canadian transnational corporation First Quantum, which harms sovereignty.
For speakers of the group like Saúl Méndez, the changes to the text that Cortizo supports were linked to an original sin, namely that in 2017 the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional to enter into direct contracts with a foreign company without following a proper bidding process. , which he now confirms and wants to impose on the country.
The changes in just four points out of around 63 clauses do not meet people’s claims about environmental damage, human health and the theft of natural resources that belong to all Panamanians, stressed the union leader, who recalled that they also have a moratorium on the Demand raw material extraction and a referendum on this issue.
Also this Saturday, the presidential candidate of the Realizing Goals party and the Alianza awning, the former president of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014), will announce the person who will replace his wife Marta Linares, former candidate for the vice presidency will be the referendum. May 5, 2024, who rejected his application.
The decision led to disagreements with the Electoral Tribunal (TE), a body that works on behalf of these organizations to hinder the efforts of Martinelli, who is also awaiting the completion of a 10-year prison sentence for money laundering in the New Business case trial. and another hearing is being held for a similar crime involving the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht.
For its part, the TE rejected the statements, classifying them as absurd and unfounded, but reiterated its commitment to democracy, accountability, transparency, justice and justice in the election campaign.
In the last seven days, the top electoral body also disagreed with the National Assembly (Parliament) on electoral law reforms passed in the third and final debate.
The changes affect the current regulations that determine the distribution of seats according to waste in multi-participant groups
Opponents of these changes point out that they would only benefit the political organizations with the largest membership, including the ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party, whose deputies, including Ricardo Torres, put forward the initiative.
With the signing of the amendment, the harshest critics argue, some seats could be awarded to the major parties in line with the votes obtained in the May 5, 2024 consultation, thus reducing the opportunities of the growing independent movement
On this issue, the president of the TE, Alfredo Juncá, argued that next year the same rules that were applied in the 2019 general elections should apply.
The Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, the country’s largest business union, also declared a few months before the parliamentary elections that the reform of the code was an irresponsible and dangerous act that caused complete distrust among the entire society.
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