The tangled web of Panama election politics.

WHILE there are blocks within three of the five political parties in Panama who want to see the ruling Democratic Change (CD) administration ousted, Internal battles leave the opposition largely fragmented.

With only barely 8 months to the election that’s good news for the incumbents as opposition campaign strategies have been jeopardized.

The Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement ( MOLIRENA ), a current partner with the CD in government, is facing an internecine struggle tghat has split  its members three ways.
Sergio Gonzalez Ruiz , the current leader, who aspires to be the vice presidential running mate of CD presidential candidate Domingo Arias, is strong with the CD. Another school , led by Lysimachus Lopez and Olimpo Sáez– who were expelled last week, have decided to  support Juan Carlos Navarro the Democratic Revolutionary Party ( PRD) presidential candidate.
Another group within MOLIRENA , consisting mainly of founders and adversaries of Ruiz , announced Sunday, September 1 , their support for Panameñista Party, presidential hopeful, Juan Carlos Varela .
In this group are Gisela Chung , Guillermo Quijano , Themistocles Diaz, and  other dissidents recently expelled from the party.
The atmosphere in the Partido Popular ( PP ) is no different says La Prensa.
Just when the leaders of the PP decided to formalize an electoral alliance with the Panamenistas another group, calling themelves "The Greens," weighed in against the leadership. 

Leading the dissidents is Anibal Culiolis PP vice president of the party who says The delivery of the PP to the Panameñistas is a “losing political marriage."

His followers he said, have concluded that the Panameñistas will have no chance of confronting and beating the CD- MOLIRENA alliance in 2014. Therefore, the Green Party has formalized its support for the PRD candidate Juan Carlos Navarro .
While Juan Carlos Varela has managed to add members of the PP and MOLIRENA to his campaign there are evident divisions within the party.
The group adversely affecting Varela is headed by former President of the Republic Mireya Moscoso, widow of Arnulfo Arias Madrid founder of the party. Her followers have also come to the fore to throw darts at party president Juan Carlos Varela, currently the coountry's vice-president, but campaigning for the presidency.
Moscoso 's political flirtations have been with Ricardo Martinelli , president and leader of CD .
"The former president Mireya has always given me good advice and it's always good to talk about national issues with someone who has already had the experience of being president," Martinelli said after a lunch with Moscoso in May.
While some of the PRD internal strife appears to have dissipated not everyone is happy .
Leaders such as Balbina Herrera and Mitchell Does, claim that there are "Trojan horses " in the party. Horses , they argue, that would work for Martinelli; allegations that, for now, have been muted so as not to shake the collective front.
The PRD– after the election of the new National Executive Committee (CEN ) in late 2012 and the election of the presidential candidate in early 2013 – began to heal wounds from the infighting.
But a recent unannounced meeting , August 15 , between their leader and presidential candidate Juan Carlos Navarro and Martinelli again aroused suspicions with some PRD members. Navarro claimed it was a casual meeting , without compromise. But no detail was given about what was discussed .