Varela Takes Heat As Assembly Rejects Judges

THE REJECTION by the National Assembly of two  Supreme Court nominees was because of the failure of the administration led by President Juan Carlos Varela to honor The State Pact for Justice, say critics.

The pact was a commitment signed in 2005 by three organs the Ombudsman’s Office, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and organized civil society to reform the administration of justice.

After a fractious debate with a packed gallery contributing comments, catcalls and cheers, the Assembly rejected Varela’s  picks  Zuleyka Moore and Ana Lucrecia Tovar de Zarak

Civil society organizations were quick to pronounce that Varela has put the country in a “completely unnecessary” situation, by not appointing judges by consensus, as promised.

Olga De Obaldía, executive director of the Foundation for Citizen Liberty, the Panama chapter  of Transparency International (TI), said that what happened in the Assembly “Is not a victory for anybody … all citizens have lost, Do not forget  for a minute that this has been politicking and that nobody, neither the Executive nor the Legislature, is really thinking about the problem of justice” said  the IT director.

She said that the Assembly cannot speak of justice when it does not abide by decisions such as that of the Court to provide information about donations and subsidies. “So, what justice do they speak of?”

On n the other hand, the Executive “has put the country in a completely unnecessary position, that would not have happened if it had honored the Pact as they promised in their campaign.

“We ask the Executive to comply with and honor the Pact before sending back two new appointments, “she said.

Juan Diego Vásquez, of the Youth Network for Transparency, said that the rejection of the nominees was a show debate that highlighted that the deputies are not thinking about the country, but politicking.

Governance  problem
Former Comptroller Alvin Weeden warned that after the rejection “there is a governance problem in the country. If we continue with anarchy and political interest, we are going to make the country ungovernable, and we will not be far from what happened in Venezuela and other countries in Latin America, “he said. What happened in the Assembly was blackmail. “I am sure that if President Varela had negotiated a magistrate with the PRD or CD, none of this would have happened. That is irresponsible political management,”

Varela said on Wednesday.Jan. 31  at a road opening ceremony that he will begin to interview new candidates for magistrates of  But he will do it “calmly”, after Carnival.