Bases question Panameñista-CD alliance

After the alliance between the Panameñista and Democratic Change (CD) parties was announced, unrest and concern have been generated among the bases of both political groups that aspire to elected positions such as deputies, mayors, and township representatives reports La Estrella

Sources in Panameñista assure that the alliance agreed between the president, José Blandón, and the president of CD, Rómulo Roux, has raised concerns among candidates for elected positions, given the fear of being displaced by candidates from the allied party.

“All this discomfort in the bases will be felt after both parties make the political alliance official in their respective directorates, and when the various Panamanian candidates for deputies, representatives, or mayors know that their spaces will be occupied by members of Cambio Democrático,” said the source.

 The dispute over the candidacy for Mayor of Panama between the Panamanian candidate for this position Guillermo “Willy” Bermúdez and the candidate for the CD Génesis Arjona is expected to intensify.

“My aspirations are still standing, we actually have a pending meeting with our candidate Rómulo Roux […] There is a strong candidate also for Democratic Change and that is why the meeting with Rómulo Roux will be interesting,” said Arjona.

Although it has not been made official, sources indicate that the CD-Panameñista alliance would be led by Roux, that Blandón would be the candidate for the Vice Presidency, and that the candidacy for the Mayor of Panama had been guaranteed for the Panamanian Willy Bermúdez.

The alliance between Blandón and Roux led to the resignation from the Panameñista Party of Publio Cortés, former director of the General Directorate of Revenue (DGI), in the last government.

Cortés made his decision public through the social network. He recalled that the now CD candidate is a lawyer for the mining company, which in his opinion has violated the legal and constitutional order of the country to the detriment of national interests with the complicity of Panameñistas.

MIND CHANGE
Roux, who initially strongly supported the signing of the contract between the State and Minera Panamá, changed his position after the alliance with Blandón, which raises the possibility that the contract with the mining company could be reviewed.

Likewise, within CD, not everyone agrees with the Roux-Blandón political pact. The lawyer and member of the National Board of CD, Arturo Vallarino, announced that he will not endorse with his presence “a political pact with a party that, being the government, only dedicated itself to persecuting the members of Cambio Democrático.”

After the announcement of the alliance, various political sectors questioned whether Panamanianism had accepted this political agreement with CD,  having this party some figures who have been questioned, pointing to former deputy Carlos “Tito” Afú and Mario Miller; among others, those who aspire to return to the National Assembly.