Jailed Martinelli registered as Panama mayoralty candidate

Panama’s ever bewildering political scene took another turn on Monday, January 14  when ex-president  Ricardo Martinelli was registered as Cambio Democrático (CD) candidate for Mayor of Panama City.

Martinelli is currently detained in El Renacer Pprison awaiting trial in an illegal wiretapping case in which the prosecutor has called for a 21-year jail term.  Dozens of supporters headed by the former First Lady, Marta Linares de Martinelli and failed vice-presidential runner danced and sang as they arrived at the party headquarters in Plaza Carolina.

Deputy Sergio Gálvez, the self-proclaimed sexual buffalo will be his running mate for the candidacy for mayor of Panama.

Linares de Martinelli and Gálvez arrived at the CD offices accompanied by a delegation composed of Mayín Correa, the deputy Diego Lombana, the ex-deputy Marcos González and the model Génesis Arjona.

Inside the headquarters, this group met with the president of the CD, Rómulo Roux , and the general secretary and deputy Yanibel Ábrego.

“With the nomination of Martinelli we showed that Cambio Democrático is united, we are calm and confident that we will win the elections on May 5,” Roux said.

The event took place on the day that the PRD confirmed their mayoralty candidate and running mate.

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