https://www.laestrella.com.pa/nacional/230713/230802-jose-stoute-roux-le-gano

The recent internal elections of Cambio Democrático (CD) further clear the panorama regarding the electoral offer for 2024.

With 52% of the votes, the president of CD, Rómulo Roux, prevailed over his rival, deputy Yanibel Ábrego, who obtained 46%. This represents a new victory over former President Ricardo Martinelli, who was the main political supporter of the Capira deputy in the primaries.

Although the polls benefited Roux, when looking at the correlation of forces, the balance is bittersweet for the now presidential candidate for CD, according to political analyst José Stoute.

“That win has exhausted Roux. His party is completely divided, the differences between one and the other are less than 10,000 votes, that is a situation that we could call almost catastrophic. Therefore, although he won, he arrives weakened to lead an alliance, ”he said this Wednesday in“ Cover ”of La Estrella de Panamá.

Stoute considered that the deputy Ábrego dynamited her political capital in favor of Martinelli. “It was unprecedented for the presidential candidate of one party to campaign with the candidate of another party, that had never been seen before. These are the things that happen in the Panamanian elections.”

In the analyst’s opinion, it is still not clear that the support received by Ábrego will end in votes for the leader of Realizando Metas (RM).

In addition, he said, the impact of the multiple judicial processes that Martinelli faces and the possible disqualification will have remains to be seen.

He considered that the decomposition of the party system – where the groups do not have ideological debate or differentiated political programs – could lead to “unexpected” alliances in the next elections. “There is even talk of important contacts between the current government and Mr. Martinelli,” he said.

Another immediate effect of the CD result is the strength with which Roux arrives at the negotiating table between the parties that call themselves opposition to the government, says Stoute.

Hence, the capacity of the structure of the Panameñista Party at the time of voting and the electoral muscle shown by the virtual presidential candidate José Isabel Blandón –who runs only in primaries– could condition the opposition alliance.

“Blandón will have every right to come to a negotiating table with strength; We can’t know if he’s going to lead the alliance, but he’s going to sit at the table on an equal footing,” Stoute said.

Regarding the re-election claims of the ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) through its candidate José Gabriel Carrizo, he recalled that the country’s electoral history is to punish the party in power for the discontent accumulated during the five-year period. “Experience kills propaganda. You cannot go and tell anyone that they are in those huge queues at the Social Security Fund without receiving medicines, that they are receiving them”.

Stoute considered that the political system, in general, and the political parties, specifically, are in a process of decomposition. This, he said, means that the party’s sole objective is the power to control the general state budget. For that, any alliance is valid, because what you want is to participate in that huge cake.