The “Future” of PANAMA is pre-destined after a decade of ineptitude.

Politics

They say that “God helps those who get up early” and former President Ricardo Martinelli believes so, and just the same day that President Laurentino Cortizo would give his report to the country, he was meeting with the rebel deputies of Cambio Democrático and the only one of Realizando Metas , and held a press conference in which he criticized Cortizo’s management, thus establishing the leadership in opposition to the PRD government.

And it is that in the installation of the second legislature of the fourth period of ordinary sessions of the National Assembly, the 14 deputies of CD led by Yanibel Ábrego, and the only deputy of Realizing Goals Alain Cedeño rose from their seats to meet with the one who Ricardo Martinelli is considered the main opposition candidate for the government, which represented a blow to the table to attract attention and visualize that he controls and leads CD, in the opinion of political party consultant Julio Villalobos.

For Villalobos, this action by former President Martinelli also puts early pressure on the rest of the opposition parties, “practically divided the role of the event that had to be capitalized on by the ruling party.”

For the political analyst José Blandón, the political move by Ricardo Martinelli and the deputies led by Yanibel Ábrego was a bold and good move, as was the move by the president of the Assembly, deputy Crispiano Adames, to practically run as the presidential candidate of the Revolutionary Party. Democrático (PRD), “now comes the reaction of the other political forces.”

Although the primary elections within Cambio Democrático still need to be held to choose the presidential candidate, Blandón points out that in the midst of the internal crisis facing CD, Yanibel Ábrego is playing at being the presidential candidate.

“What Yanibel Ábrego and Ricardo Martinelli did was that they brought the two parties together to guarantee that in principle there is an alliance, but it remains to be seen what happens with Cambio Democrático if Ábrego wins the presidential candidacy, coupled with the entire judicial process that Martinelli is facing,” Blandon opined.

He mentioned that one of the problems of the ruling PRD party is that it is late in the search for partisan alliances, because the independent candidates do not add up much, “because they do not have structures like the political parties, and the PRD has not mobilized its structures to seek alliance”.

Although he recognized that Ricardo Martinelli today is the political leader with the greatest popular sympathy, his great challenge is to stay amidst the complexity of events. “When the opposition parties really come together, we will see who the true opposition is and Martinelli will have a hard time because he has a series of cases on his shoulders that he will have to handle with great capacity, the judicial processes and the return of his children. of the United States”.

The political scientist Ricardo Herrera pointed out that Ricardo Martinelli is presenting himself as the main opposition candidate for the government of Laurentino Cortizo, but from the ideological point of view, both the PRD and Martinelli, as well as the Varelism, are clones.

However, he says that the leader of Realizando Metas presents himself as the action to beat, but from an ideological point of view, he is simply “more of the same.”

“During that meeting, Martinelli outlined criticisms of the government demanding a change of course; However, what would be opportune is that he could first explain what is this change of course that he proposes and if that change is to return to the style of government that he presented when he was president, a management characterized by little respect for democratic institutions, with the purchase of deputies and political persecution”, added Herrera.

Villalobos went on to say that in the midst of the judicial processes that Martinelli is facing, the letter up his sleeve of national unity implies a clean slate of all the possible crimes and administrative faults committed in the different governments. “Martinelli knows in advance the political power and control of the Executive Branch, in its power to resolve any decision made by another State Branch, in this case the Judiciary,” he said.

What are the legal processes facing Ricardo Martinelli? He is currently facing judicial processes that could disqualify him, but there is the time factor that also plays in his favor.

As of today, Martinelli leads the presidential polls at the end of 2022, according to Gismo Services, with 30% of the intention to vote, but he faces the well-known high-profile cases “Odebrecht” and “New Business”, which could disqualify him. , depending on the legal times.

Regarding the Odebrecht case, accused of the crime of money laundering, he himself was subjected to a preliminary hearing for 12 days, after being called to trial, together with former president Juan Carlos Varela and former officials of both governments.

After this preliminary hearing that began on September 12 and ended on September 28, the third liquidating judge for criminal cases, Baloisa Marquínez, having heard the arguments of the defense lawyers and the opinions of the prosecutor Ruth Morcillo , announced the summons to trial of former President Martinelli, whose trial date was set from August 1 to 18, 2023 and was established as an alternate date from September 27 to October 17, 2023.

In the New Business case, Judge Marquínez M., through Order No. 23 of December 9, 2022, decreed the summons to trial of former President Ricardo Martinelli, for the alleged commission of the crime against the economic order in the form of money laundering of capitals.

The main hearing date was set from April 17 to 28, 2023, and as an alternate date from May 23 to June 5, 2023, both hearings at 9:00 a.m. A defense attorney from the Public Defense Institute was also appointed , in the event that the private technical defense of the former President of the Republic does not appear.

One of the requirements established by the current Electoral Code is that for a citizen to be able to run for the offices of President and Vice President of the Republic, they must not have been convicted of an intentional crime with a custodial sentence of 5 years or more, through enforceable judgment handed down by a court of justice”.

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