Martinelli nixes talk of wife running for president

THE PROSPECT that Panama’s First Lady, Marta Linares, wife or President Ricardo Martinelli could run to replace him in the next election has fired up political commentators and analysts. 

On Friday. January 18 Martinelli semed ready to anoint a bid by his wife saying that he is willing to support her possible presidential aspirations ,but said first she has to be asked: "If she should choose, I support my wife in everything."

The remarks ignited a constitutional debate.

The reviews focused on Article 192, paragraph 2 of the Constitution, which outlines relatives who cannot run for the office:

On the subject of kinship, Erasmo Pinilla,Electoral Court Court Magistrate said that the focus of discussion should be on whther the spouse is a relative or not.  When Pinilla was asked  his opinion as a lawyer,La Prensa  reported:  "She [Linares] isnot related to the president."
Pittí Ulysses, an expert in family law, shares that theory. "Husband and wife bear no affinity" he said  adding  that the Family Code [Articles 23 and 24] states that there is no affinity between husband and wife.
Constitutionalist Italo Antinori supports the thesis. After doing an extensive analysis of the evolution of the Constitution with regard to those who cannot be President, he cites he Family Code which in one article says, " spouses are not relatives." "In the case of the Panamanian constitutional law, the prohibition does not extend to include the First Lady," he added in a statement sent to the media.
But by Saturday Martinelli sought to put the lid on the discussion by rejecting the notion that either he or his wife want to run as presidential candidates
He said in Veraguas that "democracy is safe" in the country and that the ruling Cambio Democrático (CD) will have a true primary in May.
He said that the successful CD candidate "will be the next president of Panama" and that it will be very difficult for the party to lose the election.
Earlier in the week in a strong letter to the president, former Ambassador to the OAS Guillermo (Willy) Cochez, said that when he visited Panama over Christmas, he could get no attention at the government level as attention was fixed only on getting a suitable presidential candidate.