Deputies pre-election power grab

The dispute over the control of the  National Assembly Credential  Commission reveals the clash of interests of the political parties to gain power spaces in the pre-election year, with some not-so-subtle threats thrown in. according to political analysts.

The dissolving of the existing Commission comes at a time when the appointment of two new judges will have to be ratified, and later the electoral prosecutor.

” The CD and the PRD are trying to change the correlation of forces in the Assembly to influence the appointment of magistrates. They want to ensure that those designated are people related to the dome of their parties… It is a pre-election year, the deputies want the best deals  to finance their re-election campaigns,” political scientist Richard Morales told La Prensa

Political sources say that economic interests  of some deputies are also in play

The sources told La Prensa that on Wednesday night, after approval of the alteration of the agenda to dismantle the existing Credentials Committee, CD deputies made a proposal to the Executive: they would not participate in the new formation in return for $20 million to manage projects in their circuits.

According to the sources, the Presidency did not accept the deal. But Yanibel Ábrego President of the Legislature said that this is “totally false”.

The Panameñistas say that the PRD and CD want to control the Commission to have a weapon against the Executive in case it tries to reveal the result of the audits of money distributed by deputies to communal boards.

On Thursday, February 22, the ruling Panameñistas in an attempt to stop the process of dismantling the Commission – presented before the General Secretariat of the Legislative a warning of illegality to the alteration of the agenda, which had occurred the previous night.

PRD deputy Pedro Miguel González said that, if the Commission is not set, the plenary has the power to appoint an Ad hoc commission, which would exercise its functions.

Both the deputies of the PRD and Democratic Change plan to choose the new Committee members to function from Monday.

According to González, It will be composed of three PRD members, three CD, two Panameñistas and one from the minority benches, effectively putting the Commission under control of opposition parties.

The Panameñistas warned that they will not recognize the formation of a new Commission and are talking about filing an appeal for guarantees or an unconstitutionality appeal before the Supreme Court.