Constitution committee gets fresh Government boost after coordinator exit.

The resignation of the constitutional lawyer from Italo Antinori as coordinator of the Panama Government  committee  on constitutional reform, has led to three more appointments.

Antinori resigned  in the midst of a growing scandal surrounding allegations that he masterminded a plan for a secret committee to railroad former Attorney General, Ana Matilde Gomez.

Meanwhile, civil groups and opposition leaders maintain that constitutional changes should not be left to a panel appointed by the Government.

The Executive Branch has appointed lawyer Ana Belfon and economist Aram Cisneros to the committee. Both already work in the. Presidency.

Also appointed was Elizabeth Saint Malo, who served as mediator in the dialog that resulted in the repeal of the controversial Bill 30 which changed the country’s   mining codes.

Saint Malo would be the independent moderator of a roundtable that could  be established between the Government and organized sectors of the country, to facilitate consultations on reforms.

The opposition Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) said that the best way to achieve the end goal is a comprehensive committee that represents all sectors of the country.
 Carlos Lee a civil society, activist, went further and  said the constitutional changes should not be subject to a panel appointed by the Government.