Strong words fly at presidential palace … reports

Reports of growing cracks in Panama’s governing coalition with strong words flying at a meeting in the presidential palace were the source of media speculation on Friday, May 27. {jathumbnail off}

The issues bringing  about the butting of heads were the debate in the National Assembly over the controversial plan to introduce a second round run-off in elections and the choosing of the next president of the National Assembly.

The sitting members of the Democratic Change Party (CD) were reportedly unaware of an agreement with their coalition partners, that the Panamenista nominee Alcibiades Vasquez would get the post.

A similar agreement with Vice-president Juan Carlos Varela to be the candidate for the top spot in the next election, was believed to have been made, at a meeting between Varela and Ricardo Martinelli at the residence of former U.S. Ambassador Barbara Stephenson when the alliance was first hatched.

Since then Martinelli has been slow to endorse Varela as the next presidential candidate, and a constitutional change allowing the president to again run for office without having to wait five years has been pushed within the CD.

The ruling coalition has fractured as the CD will run a candidate for the president of the National Assembly against a candidate from the Panameñista Party.

The news has prompted Panameñistas to speak out  the decision. Legislator Miguel Fanovish said in a televised interview that the CD has broken the alliance.

The CD controls 32 of the 71 seats in the legislature. There have been unconfirmed reports that four opposition lawmakers will join the CD caucus.

La Prensa  says the situation of the government alliance was discussed at a meeting in the Palace of the Herons (Presidential Palace).

“In the heat of debate …  Panameñista party chairman and Vice President, Juan Carlos Varela, had a strong exchange of words with the Security Minister Jose Raul Mulino, and President Ricardo Martinelli,” sources confirmed to the newspaper. 

Minister of the Presidency Demetrio Papadimitriu who frequently steps forward to explain pronouncements by the president, denied that version.
According to Papadimitriu, what occurred was a discussion on the topic of the second round. "There was never an incident, " he said.
Meanwhile,  Panameñista deputy José Luis Varela, brother of  the Vice President, confirmed that there was a meeting which addressed what happened with the political agreement in the Assembly and the second round and there were hard words, between  the Vice President and Martinelli."
Other political sources confirmed that the subject of the second round has led to intense meetings in the Presidency of the Republic and "heated discussions" between members of CD and Panamenistas in the assembly