Mayor Bosco denies heart attack

Panama’s mayor, Ricardo Bosco Vallarino denied on Saturday that he has suffered a heart attack.

When arriving to vote in the Panamanista party elections he said that he had had  undergone several medical tests.  He arrived at the La Salle Schools surrounded  by a group of security agents who asked people  not to approach him because "he needed air." Vallarino said he was in good health and spirits and ready to return to his duties as mayor of Panama.

Earlier in the year he underwent surgery to counter excessive weight, along with several members of his family at a cost of around $20,000 each.

Vallarino is awaiting a court decision with opponents seeking to overturn a National Assembly vote that reinstated his citizenship. He had become an American citizen, and failed to declare that before his run for mayor.

He has kept a relatively low profile in recent months after a series of missteps that have led citizens and political leaders to question his ability.