Last week of hearings for Supreme Court hopefuls

The State Pact for Justice resumed interviews with aspiring magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice in what is seen by many to be the equivalent of a show trial as the final determination rests with the President and the National Assembly.

Last week, the commission interviewed 10 of the 20 candidates to replace retiring judges Oydén Ortega and Jerónimo Mejía, in the Civil and Criminal   Courts of the CSJ.  In Panama  Supreme Court judges serve for only 10 years.

On Monday, two interviews were scheduled, The first or María Eugenia López, taking her second shot at becoming a magistrate.

On her arrival at the interview center, she said that she believes in institutionality, adding  that citizens have the right to know who the people who will be resolving their conflicts.

For López, with these interviews, citizens have the opportunity to question and send

his observations on the aspirants, especially if they do not have the qualities and virtues.

“The citizenship is obliged to participate, we must not stay in our comfort zone “.

The seats at the hearings have been largely empty with little apparent public interest, compared to jammed seats during consideration of two previous choices of President Juan Carlos Varela, who were finally rejected by the National Assembly.

Interviews with the group of 20 applicants end on May 18.