“Open Your Eyes Panama” ignites debate

An initiative by the independent group Movin, to encourage voters to carefully examine candidates running for office in the May 5  national election has ignited a public debate after the Electoral Tribunal (TE) removed billboards carrying photographs of controversial deputies with the admonishment  “open your eyes Panama”.

The initiative began last week, and its starting point is to remind voters of controversial issues ivolving  some candidates who have been nominated.  

There are also slogans like “corruption does not have a face,  it has several”, or “publish your form”[referring to nondisclosure by current lawmakers of taxpayer-funded hand outs].

 The staff of the Electoral Tribunal (TE) allege that the messages breach the Electoral Code. This rule, among other things, warns that “it is forbidden” to hire or donate electoral propaganda for or against parties or candidates.

But Annette Planells, of Movin, says a that “Open Your Eyes Panama” is a citizen complaint campaign and is not focused on requesting votes or disfavoring any particular candidate.

“We are covered by Article 13 of the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights, of which Panama is a signatory. We have not been formally contacted by the Electoral Tribunal, we even asked for an appointment last week, without any response. We will continue with the campaign and defend what we consider is our right to free expression, “she said.

Political analyst Edwin Cabrera.wrote on Twitter:  “I do not understand the role that the Electoral Tribunal wants to play. The Movin campaign does not ask for a vote, it only asks for citizen reflection due to the fact that the deputies have not published their forms. What’s wrong with a civic campaign? Are they saying something that is not true?

Lawyer Ernesto Cedeño, said . “It is implied that those in the photo are corrupt, but there are no sentences that corroborate this yet.,”