Heading Into 2029 Elections in Panama Lombana Does Not Rule Out an Alliance with Ricardo Martinelli
Lombana admitted that his previous speech may have alienated people who wanted to connect with MOCA. Lombana maintained that his movement is “much more open” to considering political alliances.
The president of the Another Path Movement (MOCA), Ricardo Lomabana, indicated that he would not close the door to a conversation with former president Ricardo Martinelli, amid his proposals on possible political alliances for 2029. During his interview on Radio Panama, Lombana maintained that his movement is “much more open” to considering political alliances and stated that he is willing to talk to anyone, acknowledging that he has changed the way he relates to figures from traditional parties. “I will not refuse to talk to anyone, I will not refuse to shake anyone’s hand,” he said when asked about the possibility of meeting with Martinelli, after the former president wrote on social media weeks ago that “the next president is named Ricardo Alberto.”
Lombana admitted that his previous speech may have created distance with people who wanted to get closer to MOCA. “I realized that many valuable people in political parties felt they couldn’t get to where Lombana or Moca were because my speech was so strong and so radical that it made people feel like I was putting them all in the same boat,” he said. He maintained that this change is part of a strategy to be more open, not a change in his stance on corruption. “I wanted to make a change, and I have made a change, not a change of principles. I do not want scoundrels near me.
I want to make it clear that there are many valuable people, even in the PRD there are many valuable people in the RM party, so just because you were registered with a party doesn’t mean you have a label on your forehead,” he emphasized. The president of Moca confirmed that he is open to forming political alliances for 2029, something he did not consider with the same breadth in previous elections. “I will continue to be unyielding and uncompromising when it comes to negotiating with the people’s money or stealing the people’s money to continue in the same businesses; that will not change, and you will continue to hear that slogan,” he added. Regarding the upcoming elections, he reiterated his presidential aspirations and assured that he will seek the Presidency of the Republic again. “For me, the third time’s the charm,” he pointed out.
