President's deputy-turned-rival wins Panama presidency
President's deputy-turned-rival wins Panama presidency
MEXICO CITY Sun May 4, 2014 8:45pm EDT
May 4 (Reuters) - Panama's vice-president, running as an opposition candidate, won the country's presidential election on Sunday, the election tribunal said.
The centre-right Panamenista Party (PP)'s Juan Carlos Varela, who helped Martinelli get elected in 2009 but later fell out with him, had 39.2 percent of the vote with more than 60 percent of votes counted.
"You are the next president of the republic," Erasmo Pinilla, the head of the tribunal, told Varela by telephone. (Reporting by Simon Gardner)
More:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/05/panama-election-result-idUSL2N0NR00O20140505?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=bondsNews&rpc=401
[center]~ ~ ~[/center]
May 4, 9:14 PM EDT
Panama vice president win's presidential election
By JUAN ZAMORANO and JOSHUA GOODMAN
Associated Press
PANAMA CITY (AP) -- Vice President Juan Carlos Varela was declared the victor of Panama's presidential election Sunday, thwarting an attempt by former ally President Ricardo Martinelli to extend his grip on power by electing a hand-picked successor.
With 60 percent of ballots counted, officials said Varela led with 39 percent of the votes, compared to 32 percent for former Housing Minister Jose Domingo Arias, the preferred choice of Martinelli. Juan Carlos Navarro, a former mayor of the capital, was in third in the seven-candidate field with 27 percent.
Varela, who takes office July 1, dedicated his victory to Panama's democracy when the Electoral Tribunal's chief magistrate notified him by telephone of his victory.
The incumbent party has still never won re-election to Panama's presidency since the United States' 1989 overthrow of military strongman Manuel Noriega.
More:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AP_LT_PANAMA_PRESIDENTIAL_ELECTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-05-04-20-48-49
[center]~ ~ ~[/center]
Varela Leads Panama Presidential Vote With 53% Counted
By Eric Sabo May 4, 2014 7:21 PM CT
Panama Vice President Juan Carlos Varela is leading in the country’s presidential election as seven candidates vie to oversee Latin America’s fastest-growing economy.
With about 53 percent of the precincts counted, Varela had 39.2 percent support, the national electoral tribunal reported on its website. Former Housing Minister Jose Domingo Arias, who led pre-election polls, had 32 percent with ex-Panama City Mayor Juan Carlos Navarro third at 27.5 percent.
Varela, 50, broke with the ruling party in 2011 over allegations of corruption against the government, charges rejected by President Ricardo Martinelli. With voters saying inflation is their top concern, Varela advocated price controls on basic foods and, along with Navarro, said he would be more open to talks with unions and indigenous groups, who have battled with Martinelli over mining and hydroelectric projects.
In the campaign, Arias struggled to capitalize on 60 percent support for Martinelli, who helped oversee the Panama Canal’s $5.25 billion expansion and pushed unemployment to a record low 4.1 percent as hotels and condominiums reshape the capital’s skyline. He also has been criticized for picking Martinelli’s wife, Marta Linares, as his vice presidential candidate despite her lack of political experience.
$36 Billion Economy
“People view Arias as an extension of Martinelli and there’s some caution about just handing the presidency to him,” said Risa Grais-Targow, a Latin America analyst at Eurasia Group.
More:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-05/varela-leads-panama-presidential-vote-with-36-counted.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
