Martinelli eyes forming new party in bid to regain power

Ricardo Martinelli’s attempt to regain control of the Democratic Change (CD) party  he founded to support his political ambitions had entered a new phase

The former president (2009-2014) and leader  of the CD is considering  creating a new party, while the group of activists who want an extraordinary convention to renew the board of directors, will appeal to the Electoral Tribunal (TE)  the decision of the current president of the collective, Romulo Roux, not accede to the political event reports La Prensa

Rubén Campos, leads the group of members of CD that calls for  Martinelli to regain control of the party.

Martinelli is currently facing numerous corruption investigations and the decision of the judges who acquitted him of illegal wiretapping is under apeal

In a letter, Roux said  that, after verifying 996 signatures, it was found that 34 correspond to people who are no longer registered in the party, while 90 signatures are from substitutes not authorized to sign, and 13 correspond to people who signed outside the party. official list.

“Taking these figures from the preliminary analysis, we have to, at the most, before the purification that we have requested from the Electoral Tribunal, 859 signatures were allegedly submitted,” says the letter signed by Roux.

According to the CD statute, 2,489 are required.

Meanwhile, the idea of ​​creating a new political group was announced Tuesday by Martinelli himself on his Twitter account.

He said he never thought that the board of directors of CD, “who appropriated it, they say, with money from the Assembly, would not allow democratic convention for its renewal. A march was stolen and it would be abnormal for TE Panama to decide otherwise. If there is no electoral justice, a new party will come. ”

Martinelli founded Democratic Change in May 1998 and was its only president until January 2018, when Roux dethroned him.