Martinelli alleges hairy hand in Electoral Tribunal

On Sunday, October 2 Marta Linares de Martinelli presented a formal nomination before the Electoral Tribunal (TE), as a candidate for the vice presidency of Panama for the coalition of the “Realizando Metas” (RM) Alianza parties. She was accompanied by her husband, presidential candidate Ricardo Martinelli.

The TE will have until Thursday, to decide whether to accept the nomination Martinellis’ decision to go in person to the TE to deliver documentation was due to the fact that last when the vice-presidential candidate tried to make the application digitally, the TE’s electronic application system issued a warning that her application could be rejected for not complying with numeral 4 of article 337 of the Electoral Code. Numeral 4 of article 337 of the Electoral Code refers to the requirements that candidates for president and vice president of the Republic must meet, which must not be included within the impediments or conditions of ineligibility indicated in articles 192 and 193 of the Political constitution.

Both parts of Article 192 and Article 193 of the Constitution refer to the ineligibility of relatives in the fourth degree of consanguinity or second degree of affinity of the president of the Republic, both to be president and vice president of the Republic.

Prior to the presentation of the documentation as vice-presidential candidate, both Linares de Martinelli and former president Ricardo Martinelli expressed their doubts about the transparency of the current electoral process and the ex-president said he was concerned about the possibility of fraud.

“I have no confidence… zero confidence, this is the harbinger of an electoral fraud planned by people who have a hairy hand in the Electoral Court,” to reject the application said Martinelli.