https://www.laestrella.com.pa/nacional/politica/220525/1-junio-abre-proceso-electoral-2024-que-pasara-ese-momento

Next Wednesday, June 1, the Electoral Court (TE) will convene and open the electoral process for May 5, 2024, which will conclude with the renewal of all elected authorities.

The event is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Wednesday and once the opening is made official, the calendar will begin for political parties and those seeking a popularly elected position for the 2024 elections.

From June 1 to July 31, Panamanians who want to be candidates by free application must submit their application at the TE to be recognized as pre-candidates.

After these two months, no applications can be submitted to participate in the general election of May 5, 2024, by free application, as established in the Electoral Code.

If no objections are filed against the applications for recognition or those submitted have been rejected, in the case of pre-candidates for the position of President of the Republic and in constituencies with more than 10,000 voters, the campaign account will be opened. , the corresponding directorate will issue a motivated resolution with the recognition of the pre-candidacy and will authorize the beginning of the process of collecting the necessary supporting signatures for the respective position.

In constituencies with less than 10,000 voters: the regional directorate of the respective Electoral Organization will issue the motivated resolution with the recognition of the pre-candidacy and will authorize the collection of supporting signatures necessary for the respective position.

The independent candidates will have until June 31, 2023 to collect the signatures of support that must be 2% of the valid votes cast in the last election.

Meanwhile, the opening of the electoral process for the 2024 elections in the case of political parties begins on February 1, 2023. The parties in formation have until December 31, 2022 to constitute themselves and be able to nominate candidates for the elections.

The primary elections will be held from June 1 to July 31, 2023; and the other internal party events will be held in July 2023.

In the month of September 2023, the political parties must formalize before the General Secretariat of the TE the alliances they have agreed upon, by means of a memorandum signed by the legal representatives or by legal representatives of the respective parties.

The electoral criminal jurisdiction will not take effect from June 1 as in previous years, because with the changes to the Electoral Code they are established with the start of the campaign and for independent candidates when they are recognized as one of the three candidates.

Before the reform, the electoral criminal jurisdiction began from the moment the electoral process began or was called.

The new periods for electoral campaigning in the event of the general election have been increased from 60 to 90 days and end at midnight on the Thursday before the election.