With full knowledge of his imminent disqualification, a former president, sentenced for money laundering to more than 10 years in prison, deploys all kinds of tricks to ensure his presence on the presidential ballot that will be used in the elections on May 5.

Doesn't this act constitute a clear attempt to deceive the electorate when it would be your vice presidential candidate who would head your party's ticket? In the interests of his objectives, his attorneys continue to file superfluous but dilatory legal appeals, insisting on clarifications on previously dismissed matters. We urge both the Judicial Branch and the Electoral Court to, in line with due process, expedite judicial procedures and proceed with the prompt disqualification of the alleged “candidate.” The uncertainty that besieges Panamanians is harmful, not only to the country but also to the electoral process itself. This situation undermines the social peace essential to ensure elections are free of influence, transparent, and whose results faithfully reflect the authentic preferences of the Panamanian electorate.— LA PRENSA, Feb.21.