Most Panamanians believe Martinelli rules Assembly and Courts

THE VAST majority of Panamanians believe that the three branches of Government are not "limited and separate” as enshrined in the constitution, and the National Assembly and the Courts are ruled by President Ricardo Martinelli.

In a Quantix poll commissioned by La Prensa 78% felt that the Assembly does not act independently of the president and in the case of the Supreme Court of Justice, 72% responded that the judgesobey the president.

The face-to-face survey of 1,219 thousand adults in nine provinces and three regions, between 16 and 19 August, has a margin of error of 2.8%.
From the Palace of the Herons, says La Prensa, Martinelli governs with the support of 42 deputies of his party-Democratic Change (CD) and its MOLIRENA-ally. When he began his term, July 1, 2009, the CD bench was barely 14 members. In the Supreme Court, five of the nine judges owe their position to Martinelli, including its president Alejandro Moncada.
The full results of the survey will be published in the L Prensa supplement Pulse of the Nation, on Wednesday August 28.