Presidential and Assembly dialogue moves ease protests

As scores of University students converged on Plaza Cinco Mayo on Wednesday  afternoon, November 6  to continue their protests against the constitutional reforms  proposed by members of  the National Assembly, one group marched to the presidency to begin a dialogue with President Cortizo while another group talked with  the Assembly president Marcos Castillero, who pledged, to “take steps to free” the 93 young  people detained during demonstrations that  began a week ago,

Castillero, spoke with the youth through a fence of the legislative palace.

They requested that the reform package be removed and a dialogue table be installed in the  Assembly, in which they are allowed to enter the stands of the Plenary and the deputies “listen to the people”.

Castillero told the young people that they will meet Thursday at 9:00 am, so that deputies from all the benches are present, as the Assembly is not currently in session.

At a  7:00 pm press conference Castillero invited, , all the deputies and the sectors interested in participating in the cycle of consultations that will last several days.

He recalled that the reforms were consulted, and invited youth to be actors in the reforms, which “are not written in stone.”

Meanwhile, in the Presidency, students from official and private universities were received by President Cortizo. “We cannot close, we must listen, democracy is listening,” said the president.

He reiterated that there are sectors that do not want to change the Constitution, “but we must take advantage of the situation to strengthen the country’s institutions, to have a fair Panama”, he said.