Panama City, October 12 (EFE). – The Electoral Court of Panama confirmed this Thursday its rejection due to the inconvenience of a reform of the electoral law approved the day before by the ruling Parliament, appealing to the “sensitivity” of the executive of Panama President Laurentino Cortizo, who has it in hand has to approve it or not.
The 71-seat unicameral National Assembly (AN, Parliament), the majority of which is pro-government, approved the controversial reform project on Wednesday in the third and final debate, less than a year before the May 5, 2024 parliamentary elections, which various sectors oppose and look with concern.
“The Electoral Tribunal reiterates its position that, in the third debate, it rejects the approval of Bill 380 amending the Electoral Law by the Legislature a few months before the general election of May 5, 2024,” the elections governing body said in a statement.
He added: “Although the National Assembly is the body responsible for passing laws in the country, electoral organizations around the world agree that it is not advisable to change the rules of an electoral tournament as this measure compromises the integrity of the process.”
“The three-judge plenary session of the Electoral Tribunal relies on the common sense of the executive body ultimately responsible for sanctioning this law,” the organization said.
Critics point out that the change to the electoral law favors the major parties by allocating some MPs according to certain calculations based on the votes received.
Both the political and civil sectors, as well as analysts, reject this amendment, saying it is an alleged maneuver by the parties to secure seats and limit the opportunities of the growing independent movement.
Panama will hold elections in May 2024 to replace the country’s president, mayors, corregimiento (local authorities) representatives and members of the National Assembly. EFE
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