Representatives of the newly formed mixed bench and the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) announced that on July 1 they would support the candidate of Realizing Goals (RM), Dana Castañeda, for the presidency of the board of directors of the National Assembly.  José Muñoz, president of the Alianza party stressed that the four deputies who make up the so-called mixed bench met this week and agreed to support Castañeda's candidacy.  "Castañeda is a person who served in the Assembly as a deputy for 10 years and as undersecretary for 5 years, so we reached a consensus that she was the most experienced person to occupy that position," said the president of Alianza.  Castañeda, a deputy for circuit 2-3 —which includes the districts of La Pintada, Natá and Olá in the province of Coclé, is RM's choice to preside over the National Assembly, after an intense internal struggle within the group.  Sources in the party point out that the deputy is the figure of "experience and consensus", backed by the elected president, José Raúl Mulino. 

The former President of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli, also agrees that Dana Castañeda is the right person for the job of presidency of the board of directors of the National Assembly