Former presidents to meet with Martinelli with no prior agenda

(PanamaNewsRoom) Many political observers in Panama would like to be the fly on the wall when three former presidents meet with the current head of state, Ricardo Martinelli.

He has invited them to the presidential palace to set up a dialog with no  prior agenda, but his planned constitutional reforms and the separation of powers are current hot button topics in political circles.

Two of the three are from the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) which accuses  the government of political persecution of  the former leaders.

Ernesto Pérez Balladares (1994-1999);is awaiting trial on money laundering chargesand Martin Torrijos (2004-2009) is part of an ongoing investigation into a bribery scandal in the National Assembly.

Mireya Moscoso (1999-2004), a former political ally of Martinelli has been accused of wrongdoing by political opponents, but is not the subject of investigations.
The former presidents were invited to a dialogue by Martinellito consider changes to the  Constitution, and the institutional crisis affecting the country.
Moscoso said she will Martinelli concern over the amendments to the Constitutionwhich many believe will be designed to enable the president to run for office again

Balladares and Torrijos, during a meeting with the top leadership of the PRDalso agreed that the issue of reforms to the Constitution is their main concern.
PRD president, Francisco Sanchez Cardenas, said that both Perez Balladares asTorrijos Martinelli discussed a constitutionalreview rather than reform, and the party talked about the institutional crisis and the separation of powers.
Although Cardenas said that the former PRD presidents suffered political persecution, they did not discuss their legal proceedings

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Original Source: PanamaNewsRoom

Date Retrieved: March 24, 2011