80% no-shows for Martinellis CD elections

WITH  a turnout of only 20% of its 342,045 members for its internal elections on Sunday, Oct 14,  Panama’s Democratic Change (CD) Party publicly demonstrated an organization in disarray.

While it’s founder and authoritarian ruler, Ricardo Martinelli lingers in a Miami prison cell awaiting extradition,  the remaining party faithful turned up to choose convention delegates who will, next year select a board of directors.  Some familiar figures now facing criminal charges are among those seeking to play active the tarnished and fractured party, which Martinelli had boasted would sweep back to power in 2019.

In addition to the directive of Youth and Women, the group chose the 2,387 convention delegates who will elect the new board of Democratic Change during the first quarter of 2018.

There were no nominations in 23 districts and in 498 only one per district That is to say that there was only competition in 147 corregimientos nationwide, reports the Electoral Tribunal.

The first results showed that Riccardo Francolini the ex-director of the State Savings Bank Caja de Ahhorros (CA) during the government of Martinelli, was elected a convention delegate for Juan Diaz.

Francolini faces multiple criminal proceedings for alleged acts of corruption.

Ex-security minister Jose Raul Mulino, also the subject of corruption investigations, was elected as the delegate for San Francisco. “Thank you, San Francisco, for choosing me I remain committed to loyalty and work,” he wrote on Twitter.

In addition to the low participation in the elections, there were several irregularities denounced by the party leaders.themselves. Some alleged that they will contest results, like Azihra E Valdes, in Bella Vista who claims the ballots were poorly printed.