Presidents advisors outwardly support opposition – Papadimitriu

PANAMA’S election scenario seems to get murkier by the day with the former Minister of the Presidency saying that advisers to the president are people who outwardly support the candidacy of the PRD presidential candidate.

Demetrio Papadimitriu said Tuesday, November 10, that he left office because he was no longer part of the "inner circle" of presidential advisers, reports La Prensa.

Papadimitriu's abrupt resignation was a shocking turn of events, especially in light of the breaking of the ruling Alliance between the CD and the Panameñistas that left President Ricardo Martinelli and Vice President Juan Caros Varela as political rivals.

Papadimitriu said that the inner circle was initially Maritnelli, Varela and himself. But then he and Varela were gradually forced out and others took their place.
"Now there are other people in the circle," he said. "But I have not excluded the president, I consider him a friend."
He said that the current associates of the president "arrived after the 2009 elections, and have done more harm than good." He said that he does not know the reasons why they were incorporated into the circle, "but they are failing."
Papadimitriu also said that this new group – ironically – consists of people who outwardly support the candidacy of PRD presidential candidate Juan Carlos Navarro.
"It's the same circle," he added.
He also stressed that Martinelli is not a bad person.
"What happens is that he doesn't understand the power that he manages," Papadimitriu said.
The former minister also discussed the campaign ads of CD presidential candidate José Domingo Arias. According to Papadimitriu, the candidate "began to attack the opposition early" and that it will eventually cost the front runner some votes.
"With these campaigns, there is a level of wear and tear, and he will lose credibility," Papadimitriu said.
He also said the primary campaign ad being used by Navarro is actually his idea.
"The concept is mine," said Papadimitriu, who added that he thinks Varela's ads are not having much impact."Nobody is talking about them," he said.
He said that it will be difficult to beat Arias due to the resources that he has.
But he projected that the campaign will become increasingly nasty in the new year.
"We are going to start to see things that haven't been seen before," he said.