Panameista-PRD alliance not in the cards – official

A PANAMEÑISTA party official  and former pre-presidential on Thursday, August 15, rejected a possible alliance with the PRD for the 2014 elections.

Marco Ameglio said "Our enemy and our historic adversary is the PRD. I am sure that 90 percent of the Panameñistas would be against an alliance."

He said there exists bad feelings due to attacks against party members from both sides and that it is not enough to overcome the thinking that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" that has created talk of a possible alliance to defeat the ruling CD.
Ameglio added that wounds from the military dictatorship have still not healed, even after 20 years. Therefore an alliance is not possible.
Ameglio – who is no longer active in politics since he is on the board of the Panama Canal – said differences between President Ricardo Martinelli, the leader of the CD, and Vice President Juan Carlos Varela, the leader of the Panameñistas, have forced party members to stay in the middle.
Ameglio also referred to the issue of the second round of presidential voting, which he favors.
"I think it perfects the mechanism for making the most I mportant decision in the country, which is choosing the government," he said.
He lamented that his party has adopted an "anti-historical" posture and that it now opposes items which he favors, such as a second round of voting.