Panama Elections II

In Panama as in other parts of the world, much of governance is local. So, no matter which presidential candidate wins the national election, there are meaningful elections for delegates to the National Assembly, representatives of the various districts and corregimientos, as well as mayors (alcaldes). Panama is divided into 9 Provinces, 75 Districts, 623 corregimientos as well as 5 indigenous regions. In the United States this might work out to states, counties and townships, or perhaps a ward or precinct is more accurate for a corregimiento as one votes in ones corregimiento.

The Chame district will elect one mayor and the Chame and San Carlos districts will elect one delegate to the National Assembly as well as 20 representatives.

A representative has both administrative and advisory functions as he or she sits on the provincial council but also organizes local boards, prepares budgets and supervises activities on a local level.

A mayor’s duties are limited to his district much like a mayor elsewhere.

A delegate is a member of Panama’s unicameral legislature, its assembly. The function of the assembly is to pass laws specifying the intent of the law. However, the executive branch of government writes the law in the weeks following passage by the assembly.

The following are the folks who are running locally.

DELEGATE:

-Arturo Arauz (Partido Liberal Nacional)
-Emilio Vergara (Partido Cambio Democratico)
-Enrique Flores (Partido PRD)
-Junior Herrera (Partido Panamenista)

MAYOR (just Chame District):

-Euclides Mayorga (Partido Panamenista)
-Miriam Bernal (Partido PRD)
-Jose de La Cruz Gonzalez (Partido Liberal)
-Mario Nuñez (Partido Cambio Democratico)

REPRESENTATIVE (just for the Las Lajas Corregimiento):

-Omar Barrios (Partido Arnulfista)
-Alicia Gomez (Partido PRD)
-Cristobal Augusto Lasso (Partido Liberal)
-Daniel Barba (Partido Cambio Democratico)
 
Next: A little about what happens depending upon who is elected and who controls the assembly versus who sits in the Palacio de las Garzas (the presidential palace).