Former president Torrijos will run again as PP candidate

On July 16 former president, Martín Torrijos will be nominated as the presidential candidate for the Popular  Party (PP) confirmed the national secretary of the party,  Rafael Pino Pinto.

Recently, the former president announced that he would be seeking a presidential candidacy, but outside of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) of which he is a member.

Torrijos will be present on Saturday, March 25, at the extraordinary congress of reforms to its statutes of the PP, and will address the 320 delegates of the group and, will be presented with a report prepared by a group that was established by the political commission of the collective, with results of previous conversations that they held with the former president.

Pino Pinto added that in order to formalize the candidacy of former president Torrijos, they first have to comply with a series of formalities, among which the approval of the political commission, the board of directors, and the nomination congress.

“President Martín Torrijos enjoys sympathy because we have already worked with him and we know his capacity,” he said.

In the same congress, in addition to the reforms to the statutes, the creation of the disability secretary will be discussed, and, the code of ethics will be strengthened and the protocol for the prevention, care, and eradication of violence against women will be adopted.

On March 7, Torrijos shared his decision to be a candidate outside the PRD in the May 2024 elections, through a video posted on his social networks.

“I propose to build an open, pluralistic, convergent, and patriotic candidacy,” said the former president.

According to  Torrijos, his decision responds to his “convictions” and the “responsibility” he has with Panama.

He also referred to  organized crime, and drug trafficking  that advances and defies the authorities,  the corruption that permeates the Government and part of society, the discredit of the  National Assembly, and the conduct of some  deputies  who “play with the rules and the laws.”