CD lawmaker launches new party

 WITH AT LEAST  two of Panama’’s political parties already riven by internal disputes,  a new ingredient has been thrown into the mix  with the announcement of the creation  of yet another party, with the possibility that by the next election, there could be as many as eight in the field.

Deputy and former president of the National Assembly, José Muñoz, has  announced his departure from the ranks of Ricardo Martinelli’s Democratic Change Party (CD) to begin the process of registering a new Political  party: “Alliance for the People”.

He  will start recruiting  on  Sunday, April 9, harvesting signatures in stationary books in five locations  of the Circuit 810: Pedregal, Mañanitas, Diciembre 24. Pacora and Tocumen.

According to Muñoz whom CD members  have described as a fugitive, he seeks to become a presidential candidate for the collective.

According to the current Electoral Code, the political parties in formation have from  April 1 to July 31 to search for adherents. And they need to get 74,168  signatures to become a party,

It was reported that in the Electoral Tribunal handed over 35 books to Muñoz’s party to collect  signatures.

“We are creating this new party with a view to 2019, we have a relationship with Democratic Change as we were elected by that group, but as citizens we have the

right to have a political aspiration, “he explained.

He said  that “definitely we are going with a  presidential candidate that is the objective for which we are making this political party”.

Currently  the CD has 25 deputies in the National Assembly. But  there are  strong  differences among some members of the bench. Sicteen  deputies  opened a process of expulsion  from the CD.

At the end of March, several lawyers announced the formation  called  The Alternative Social Independent Party (Country).Industrial and agricultural  workers  are also seeking to enroll once again the Frente Amplio Democratic Party (FAD), which participated without success in the general elections of 2014.

At present, in Panama there are five legally constituted parties: CD, PRD,

Partido Panameñista, Partido Popular and the National  Republican Liberal Movement (Molirena).

Every party  that  participated in the last elections, each party receives the  an electoral subsidy which depends on the number of votes  received.

The most funds received in the last five-year period (2014 -2019) are the PRD, $12.4 million, CD $11.4 and the Panamenista  Party, $9.6 million. The Popular Party and Molirena get  $3.6 million.