Panama: Information on the identity of the leader of the "Panamenista" Party (Panamist Party, Partido Panameñista Doctrinario (PPD), Doctrinary Panamenist Party, Doctrinal Panamanian Party), the number of seats the party won in the last elections, and the treatment of its members by the ruling PRD since the elections of May 1994
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 August 1997 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | PAN27514.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Panama: Information on the identity of the leader of the "Panamenista" Party (Panamist Party, Partido Panameñista Doctrinario (PPD), Doctrinary Panamenist Party, Doctrinal Panamanian Party), the number of seats the party won in the last elections, and the treatment of its members by the ruling PRD since the elections of May 1994, 1 August 1997, PAN27514.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abc434.html [accessed 1 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to a 25 August 1994 dispatch from the Inter Press Service, the presidential candidate of the Partido Panameñista Doctrinario (PPD), José Salvador Muñoz, received 3,668 votes, or 0.3 per cent of the vote in Panama's presidential election of 8 May 1994.
According to a 17 September 1994 report in La Estrella de Panamá, the Doctrinary Panamenist Party was among the political parties that were "declared to be eliminated" due to their failure to "receive the minimum vote required by the Electoral Code." (Please see the attached article from La Estrella de Panamá for more details.)
On 2 August 1996 Panama City Circuito RPC Television reported that according to the Panamanian Electoral Prosecutor, the PPD was one of the parties in which "irregularities were detected" with regard to its conduct in the election. The report did not state which irregularities had been detected, but the Electoral Prosecutor's Office was reportedly investigating political parties for "double registration, fraudulent registration, and, above all, payoffs made to people to register as party members."
For information on the Partido Panameñista Doctrinario and the composition of the Panamanian legislature, please consult the following sources, available at Regional Documentation Centres: Europa World Year Book 1996 and Political Handbook of the World 1997.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Inter Press Service, 25 August 1994. "Panama: Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD) Candidate Ernesto Perez Balladares Wins Presidential Elections" (NEXIS)
La Estrella de Panamá [Panama City, in Spanish]. 17 September 1994. "Electoral Tribunal Eliminates Seven Political Parties." (FBIS-LAT-94-182 17 Sept. 1994/WNC)
Panama City Circuito RPC Television [in Spanish]. 2 August 1996. "Panama: Prosecutor Confirms Investigation of Electoral Crimes." (FBIS-LAT-96-151 2 Aug. 1996/WNC)
Attachment
La Estrella de Panamá [Panama City, in Spanish]. 17 September 1994. "Electoral Tribunal Eliminates Seven Political Parties." (FBIS-LAT-94-182 17 Sept. 1994/WNC)
Additional Sources Consulted
Amnesty International Report 1997.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1996.
Central America NewsPak (Austin, Texas). 29 November 1993-20 July 1997.
Central America Report (Guatemala City). 6 May 1994-17 July 1997.
News from Americas Watch.
Databases and on-line sources: FBIS, Global NewsBank, REFMEDIA, REFWORLD.
