Politics of Panama

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Panama
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Politics of Panama takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Panama is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The branches are according to Panama's Political Constitution of 1972, reformed by the Actos Reformatorios of 1978, and by the Acto Constitucional in 1983, united in cooperation and limited through the classic system of checks and balances. Three independent organisations with clearly defined responsibilities are found in the Political Constitution. Thus, the Comptroller General of the Republic has the responsibility to manage public funds. There also exists the Electoral Tribunal, which has the responsibility to guarantee liberty, transparency, and the efficacy of the popular vote; and, finally, the Ministry of the Public exists to oversee interests of State and of the municipalities.

1 Executive branch
2 Legislative branch
3 Political parties and elections
4 Judicial branch
5 Electoral branch
6 Some background

[edit] Executive branch

Main office holders
Office	Name	Party	Since
President	Martín Torrijos	PRD	1 September 2004
First Vice President	Samuel Lewis Navarro		1 September 2004
Second Vice President	Rubén Arosemena Valdés		1 September 2004

The executive branch includes a president and two vice presidents. The president and the vice-presidents are elected on one ballot for a five year term by the people.

[edit] Legislative branch

The legislative branch consists of a unicameral National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional) with 77 members, elected for a five year term in single-seat and multi-seat constituencies.

[edit] Political parties and elections

The following election results include names of political parties. See for additional information about parties the List of political parties in Panama. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in Panama.

Main article: Panamanian election, 2004

[discuss] – [edit]
**Summary of the 2 May 2004 Panama presidential election results**
Candidates	Parties	Votes	%
Martín Torrijos	Democratic Revolutionary Party	711,447	47.44
Guillermo Endara	Solidarity Party	462,766	30.86
José Miguel Alemán	Arnulfista Party	245,845	16.39
Ricardo Martinelli	Democratic Change	79,595	5.31
Total (turnout 76.9%)		1,499,072	100.0
Ballot papers left blank		17,366	1.13
Spoiled ballot papers		21,276	1.38
Total votes		1,537,714

[discuss] – [edit]
**Summary of the 2 May 2004 National Assembly of Panama election results**
Parties	%	Seats
Democratic Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Democrático)	37.8	41
Arnulfista Party (Partido Arnulfista )	19.2	17
Solidarity Party (Partido Solidaridad)	15.7	9
Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement (Movimiento Liberal Republicano Nacionalista)	8.6	4
Democratic Change (Cambio Democrático)	7.4	3
People's Party (Partido Popular)	6.0	1
National Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Nacional)	5.2	3
Total (turnout 76.9 %)		78
Source: Source: Tribunal Electoral de Panama

[edit] Judicial branch

The Judicial Organ administers justice in a permanent, free, and expeditious manner. It comprises the Supreme Court of Justice, the Tribunals, and the judges established by law, according to the Political Constitution of the Republic of Panama (title VII, Chapter 1).

[edit] Electoral branch

An autonomous Electoral Tribunal supervises voter registration, the election process, and the activities of political parties. Everyone over the age of 18 is required to vote, although those who fail to do so are not penalized.

[edit] Some background

In Panamanian history, the dominant parties have been the PRD and the Panameñista (former Arnulfista Party). These parties were founded by very charismatic and strong political enemies, Omar Torrijos (PRD) - the father of the current president, Martin Torrijos Espino - and Arnulfo Arias (Panameñista/Arnulfista) - husband of the previous president, Mireya Moscoso -. Even though these leaders died years ago, their "aura" is always revived by its followers, and they are present in every election.

Panamanian politics have been historically very corrupt. Lately, the Panamanian society and press has gotten tired of this and is auditing and fighting for improvements. However, the country's socialist/worker parties are not popular as in Venezuela, Cuba and Bolivia.