Panamanian general election, 1984
Encyclopedia
The Panama held a general election on 6 May 1984, electing both a new President of the Republic and a new Legislative Assembly.
On 24 April 1983, the electorate overwhelmingly approved by popular referendum a number of amendments to the 1972 Constitution. Among the changes proposed is the replacement of the existing 505-member National Assembly of Municipal Representatives by a national legislature of 70 members, and empowering this body to appoint high-ranking government officials, which until now was left to the President of the Republic.
In August 1983 law created an Electoral Tribunal consisting of one each member appointed by the executive, legislative and judicial branches. The tribunal was given ultimate authority to interpret and implement electoral rules. A national vote-counting board was formed to process election returns and report to the Electoral Tribunal.
General Paredes
, in keeping with the new constitutional provision that no active Guard member could participate in an election, reluctantly retired from the Guard on 12 August 1983. He was succeeded immediately by Noriega, who was promoted to brigadier general. During the same month, Paredes
was nominated as the PRD candidate for president. National elections were only five months away, and Paredes
appeared to be the leading presidential contender. Nevertheless, in early September, President de la Espriella
purged his cabinet of Paredes
loyalists, and Noriega declared that he would not publicly support any candidate for president. These events convinced Paredes
that he had no official government or military backing for his candidacy. He withdrew from the presidential race on 6 September 1983, less than a month after retiring from the Guard. Although Paredes
subsequently gained the support of the Popular Nationalist Party
(PNP) and was able to appear on the 1984 ballot, he was no longer a major presidential contender. Constitutional reforms notwithstanding, the reality of Panamanian politics dictated that no candidate could become president without the backing of the National Guard
and, especially, its commander.
President Ricardo de la Espriella
resigns on 13 February 1984 and his vice-president Jorge Illueca
assumes the presidency. The resignation of President and his cabinet on was barely noticed during the intense election campaign. De la Espriella
was forced out by Manuel Noriega. “De la Espriella
had opposed the military’s manipulation of the election and strongly advocated free elections for 1984”.
and 314,714 for Arnulfo Arias, but the trend, with challenges, was favoring Arias
. On 16 May, the Tribunal declared Barletta
’s victory. Of some 640,000 votes cast, they found Barletta
the winner by 1,713 votes. The process looked suspicious: the announcement came ten days after the election, and one of the three members of the Tribunal abstained".
, was murdered by Panamanian Defense Forces
officers. President Barletta
called for an investigation of Spadafora
’s death and allegations of Panamanian Defense Forces
complicity. These actions, in conjunction with a power struggle between Roberto Díaz Herrera
and Noriega, caused the Panamanian Defense Forces
to oust this increasingly unpopular president.
Barletta
resigned on 27 September 1985, and was replaced by First Vice-President Eric Arturo Delvalle
who promised to return to “Torrijista principles".
"In 1987, the situation grew more critical, producing paralysis within the Panamanian Defense Forces
. The crisis came to a head in June 1987 when Colonel Roberto Díaz Herrera
, recently retired head of the Panamanian Defense Forces
High Command, denounced the internal management of General Noriega’s military organization. Díaz Herrera
’s act was the first public manifestation of a breach. In the face of the Panamanian Defense Forces
’s demonstrated weakness, the political sector began to mobilize and call for a confrontation with the military. Following the leadership of groups that appeared to have little political experience, they formed the ‘Cruzada Civilista’ for the purpose of overthrowing the Eric Arturo Delvalle
government and convening a ‘constituyente’ assembly to draw up a new constitution".
"By late February 1988 the crisis further deepened as Eric Arturo Delvalle
attempted to fire Noriega from the Panamanian Defense Forces
. Instead, Eric Arturo Delvalle
was sacked by the Panamanian Defense Forces
-controlled National Assembly and Manuel Solis Palma
was elected ‘minister in charge of the presidency’".
Background
Under October 1978 legislation, eight parties had met quotas of 30,000 valid signatures by 1 April 1983, in order to legally nominate candidates in future elections.On 24 April 1983, the electorate overwhelmingly approved by popular referendum a number of amendments to the 1972 Constitution. Among the changes proposed is the replacement of the existing 505-member National Assembly of Municipal Representatives by a national legislature of 70 members, and empowering this body to appoint high-ranking government officials, which until now was left to the President of the Republic.
In August 1983 law created an Electoral Tribunal consisting of one each member appointed by the executive, legislative and judicial branches. The tribunal was given ultimate authority to interpret and implement electoral rules. A national vote-counting board was formed to process election returns and report to the Electoral Tribunal.
General Paredes
Rubén Darío Paredes
Rubén Darío Paredes del Río was a Panamanian army officer and the military ruler of Panamafrom 1982 to 1983.Colonel Paredes came to power following the coup against Colonel Florencio Flores. Paredes' tenure was from March 1982 to August 1983. Paredes was promoted to the rank of general on March 3...
, in keeping with the new constitutional provision that no active Guard member could participate in an election, reluctantly retired from the Guard on 12 August 1983. He was succeeded immediately by Noriega, who was promoted to brigadier general. During the same month, Paredes
Rubén Darío Paredes
Rubén Darío Paredes del Río was a Panamanian army officer and the military ruler of Panamafrom 1982 to 1983.Colonel Paredes came to power following the coup against Colonel Florencio Flores. Paredes' tenure was from March 1982 to August 1983. Paredes was promoted to the rank of general on March 3...
was nominated as the PRD candidate for president. National elections were only five months away, and Paredes
Rubén Darío Paredes
Rubén Darío Paredes del Río was a Panamanian army officer and the military ruler of Panamafrom 1982 to 1983.Colonel Paredes came to power following the coup against Colonel Florencio Flores. Paredes' tenure was from March 1982 to August 1983. Paredes was promoted to the rank of general on March 3...
appeared to be the leading presidential contender. Nevertheless, in early September, President de la Espriella
Ricardo de la Espriella
Ricardo de la Espriella Toral was President of Panama from July 31, 1982 to February 13, 1984.Ricardo de la Espriella is a Stanford-trained economist, and was a conservative head of the National Bank of Panama until he became Vice President in 1978, when the all-powerful National Guard pressed...
purged his cabinet of Paredes
Rubén Darío Paredes
Rubén Darío Paredes del Río was a Panamanian army officer and the military ruler of Panamafrom 1982 to 1983.Colonel Paredes came to power following the coup against Colonel Florencio Flores. Paredes' tenure was from March 1982 to August 1983. Paredes was promoted to the rank of general on March 3...
loyalists, and Noriega declared that he would not publicly support any candidate for president. These events convinced Paredes
Rubén Darío Paredes
Rubén Darío Paredes del Río was a Panamanian army officer and the military ruler of Panamafrom 1982 to 1983.Colonel Paredes came to power following the coup against Colonel Florencio Flores. Paredes' tenure was from March 1982 to August 1983. Paredes was promoted to the rank of general on March 3...
that he had no official government or military backing for his candidacy. He withdrew from the presidential race on 6 September 1983, less than a month after retiring from the Guard. Although Paredes
Rubén Darío Paredes
Rubén Darío Paredes del Río was a Panamanian army officer and the military ruler of Panamafrom 1982 to 1983.Colonel Paredes came to power following the coup against Colonel Florencio Flores. Paredes' tenure was from March 1982 to August 1983. Paredes was promoted to the rank of general on March 3...
subsequently gained the support of the Popular Nationalist Party
Popular Nationalist Party
The Popular Nationalist Party is a Panamanian centrist political party.The PNP, which grew out of the university student movement of the 1970s and 80s, was created in 1983 to back the presidential candidacy of Rubén Darío Paredes. In August 1983 Paredes was nominated as the Democratic...
(PNP) and was able to appear on the 1984 ballot, he was no longer a major presidential contender. Constitutional reforms notwithstanding, the reality of Panamanian politics dictated that no candidate could become president without the backing of the National Guard
Military of Panama
The Panamanian Public Forces are the national defense forces of Panama. Panama is the second country in Latin America to permanently abolish standing armies, leaving it with only small para-military forces. This came as a result of a US invasion that overthrew a military dictatorship which ruled...
and, especially, its commander.
President Ricardo de la Espriella
Ricardo de la Espriella
Ricardo de la Espriella Toral was President of Panama from July 31, 1982 to February 13, 1984.Ricardo de la Espriella is a Stanford-trained economist, and was a conservative head of the National Bank of Panama until he became Vice President in 1978, when the all-powerful National Guard pressed...
resigns on 13 February 1984 and his vice-president Jorge Illueca
Jorge Illueca
Jorge Enrique Illueca is a Panamanian politician and diplomat who served as President of Panama in 1984.Illueca was born in Panama City, Panama. He attended the University of Panama, Harvard University and the University of Chicago...
assumes the presidency. The resignation of President and his cabinet on was barely noticed during the intense election campaign. De la Espriella
Ricardo de la Espriella
Ricardo de la Espriella Toral was President of Panama from July 31, 1982 to February 13, 1984.Ricardo de la Espriella is a Stanford-trained economist, and was a conservative head of the National Bank of Panama until he became Vice President in 1978, when the all-powerful National Guard pressed...
was forced out by Manuel Noriega. “De la Espriella
Ricardo de la Espriella
Ricardo de la Espriella Toral was President of Panama from July 31, 1982 to February 13, 1984.Ricardo de la Espriella is a Stanford-trained economist, and was a conservative head of the National Bank of Panama until he became Vice President in 1978, when the all-powerful National Guard pressed...
had opposed the military’s manipulation of the election and strongly advocated free elections for 1984”.
Election Day
"Preelection reports suggested that the procedures enacted during 1982-1984 to ensure a free and fair national election would achieve that result. Events on and after election day, however, were tainted with fraud. The vote count was stopped early and then suspended three days later, on 9 May. On 12 May, the tallies stood at 319,671 for Nicolás Ardito Barletta VallarinoNicolás Ardito Barletta Vallarino
Nicolás Ardito Barletta Vallarino was President of Panama from October 11, 1984 to September 28, 1985. He belonged to the Democratic Revolutionary Party ....
and 314,714 for Arnulfo Arias, but the trend, with challenges, was favoring Arias
Arnulfo Arias
Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid was president of Panama on three occasions: 1940–41, 1949–51, and for two weeks in October 1968.- Origins :...
. On 16 May, the Tribunal declared Barletta
Nicolás Ardito Barletta Vallarino
Nicolás Ardito Barletta Vallarino was President of Panama from October 11, 1984 to September 28, 1985. He belonged to the Democratic Revolutionary Party ....
’s victory. Of some 640,000 votes cast, they found Barletta
Nicolás Ardito Barletta Vallarino
Nicolás Ardito Barletta Vallarino was President of Panama from October 11, 1984 to September 28, 1985. He belonged to the Democratic Revolutionary Party ....
the winner by 1,713 votes. The process looked suspicious: the announcement came ten days after the election, and one of the three members of the Tribunal abstained".
Presidential election results
| Candidate | Party/Alliance | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicolás Ardito Barletta | National Democratic Union (UNADE) | 300,748 | 46.98% |
| Democratic Revolutionary Party Democratic Revolutionary Party The Democratic Revolutionary Party is a Panamanian political party. It was founded in 1979 by the General Omar Torrijos, and is generally described as a party of the centre-left of the political spectrum.-History and creation:... (PRD) |
175,722 | 27.45% | |
| Labor and Agrarian Party Labor and Agrarian Party Labor and Agrarian Party is a Panamanian right-of-center political party, founded in 1960.The PALA supported the Marco Aurelio Robles administration in 1964-1968... (PALA) |
45,384 | 07.09% | |
| Republican Party Republican Party (Panama) The Republican Party is a Panamanian right-wing political party.Its distant origins lie in the Liberal Renewal Party founded in 1932... (PR) |
34,215 | 05.34% | |
| Liberal Party (PL) | 28,568 | 04.46% | |
| Panameñista Party Panameñista Party - Founding and early history :The party is the oldest in Panama. It was founded in 1932 by Arnulfo Arias Madrid, a prominent medical , as the National Revolutionary Party. Its membership largely came from Patriotic Communal Action, a nationalist organization that opposed the large amount of... (PP) |
11,579 | 01.81% | |
| Broad Popular Front Broad Popular Front Broad Popular Front is a Panamanian small left-of-center political party.The FRAMPO was created in 1977 by Renato Pereira, a former leader of the Federation of Students, and Miguel Montiel and was accorded legal recognition as a party in 1979.The FRAMPO was a pro-Torrijos and a pro-government... (FRAMPO) |
5,280 | 00.82% | |
| Dr Arnulfo Arias Madrid | Democratic Opposition Alliance (ADO) | 299,035 | 46.71% |
| Authentic Panameñista Party (PPA) | 221,335 | 34.57% | |
| Christian Democratic Party Christian Democratic Party (Panama) The Christian Democratic Party , now People's Party is a Panamanian Christian democratic centre-right political party, one of Latin America's most conservative and anti-communist Christian Democratic parties.The ideological foundation of the party is based on the social doctrine of the Catholic... (PDC) |
46,963 | 07.34% | |
| Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement The Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement is a center-to-right, pro-business liberal political party in Panama.... (MOLIRENA) |
30,737 | 04.80% | |
| Gen. (retd) Rubén Darío Paredes Rubén Darío Paredes Rubén Darío Paredes del Río was a Panamanian army officer and the military ruler of Panamafrom 1982 to 1983.Colonel Paredes came to power following the coup against Colonel Florencio Flores. Paredes' tenure was from March 1982 to August 1983. Paredes was promoted to the rank of general on March 3... |
Popular Nationalist Party Popular Nationalist Party The Popular Nationalist Party is a Panamanian centrist political party.The PNP, which grew out of the university student movement of the 1970s and 80s, was created in 1983 to back the presidential candidacy of Rubén Darío Paredes. In August 1983 Paredes was nominated as the Democratic... (PNP) |
15,976 | 02.50% |
| Carlos Iván Zúñiga | Popular Action Party Popular Action Party (Panama) Popular Action Party is a Panamanian political party.Established by urban, middle-class social democrats in 1982.... (PAPO) |
13,782 | 02.15% |
| Carlos Del Cid | People’s Party of Panama (PPP) | 4,598 | 00.72% |
| José Renán Esquivel | Workers' Revolutionary Party Workers' Revolutionary Party (Panama) Workers' Revolutionary Party is a Panamanian political party.The PRT was created in October 1983... (PRT) |
3,969 | 00.62% |
| Ricardo Barría | Workers' Socialist Party (PST) | 2,085 | 00.33% |
| Total valid votes | 640,193 | 100% | |
| Spoilt and invalid votes | 30,897 | 04.60% | |
| Total votes/Turnout | 671,090 | 73.13% | |
| Registered voters | 917,677 | ||
| Population | 2,130,000 | ||
Legislative election
| Parties and alliances | Votes/districts | % | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Democratic Union (UNADE) | 330,631 | 54.26% | 45 |
| Democratic Revolutionary Party Democratic Revolutionary Party The Democratic Revolutionary Party is a Panamanian political party. It was founded in 1979 by the General Omar Torrijos, and is generally described as a party of the centre-left of the political spectrum.-History and creation:... (PRD) |
153,182 | 25.14% | 34 |
| Labor and Agrarian Party Labor and Agrarian Party Labor and Agrarian Party is a Panamanian right-of-center political party, founded in 1960.The PALA supported the Marco Aurelio Robles administration in 1964-1968... (PALA) |
74,430 | 12.21% | 07 |
| Republican Party Republican Party (Panama) The Republican Party is a Panamanian right-wing political party.Its distant origins lie in the Liberal Renewal Party founded in 1932... (PR) |
51,103 | 08.39% | 03 |
| Liberal Party (PL) | 36,040 | 05.91% | 01 |
| Panameñista Party Panameñista Party - Founding and early history :The party is the oldest in Panama. It was founded in 1932 by Arnulfo Arias Madrid, a prominent medical , as the National Revolutionary Party. Its membership largely came from Patriotic Communal Action, a nationalist organization that opposed the large amount of... (PP) |
8,063 | 01.32% | 00 |
| Broad Popular Front Broad Popular Front Broad Popular Front is a Panamanian small left-of-center political party.The FRAMPO was created in 1977 by Renato Pereira, a former leader of the Federation of Students, and Miguel Montiel and was accorded legal recognition as a party in 1979.The FRAMPO was a pro-Torrijos and a pro-government... (FRAMPO) |
7,813 | 01.28% | 00 |
| Democratic Opposition Alliance (ADO) | 245,496 | 40.29% | 22 |
| Authentic Panameñista Party (PPA) | 124,562 | 20.44% | 13 |
| Christian Democratic Party Christian Democratic Party (Panama) The Christian Democratic Party , now People's Party is a Panamanian Christian democratic centre-right political party, one of Latin America's most conservative and anti-communist Christian Democratic parties.The ideological foundation of the party is based on the social doctrine of the Catholic... (PDC) |
69,998 | 11.49% | 06 |
| Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement The Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement is a center-to-right, pro-business liberal political party in Panama.... (MOLIRENA) |
50,936 | 08.36% | 03 |
| Popular Nationalist Party Popular Nationalist Party The Popular Nationalist Party is a Panamanian centrist political party.The PNP, which grew out of the university student movement of the 1970s and 80s, was created in 1983 to back the presidential candidacy of Rubén Darío Paredes. In August 1983 Paredes was nominated as the Democratic... (PNP) |
12,596 | 02.07% | 00 |
| Popular Action Party Popular Action Party (Panama) Popular Action Party is a Panamanian political party.Established by urban, middle-class social democrats in 1982.... (PAPO) |
8,471 | 01.39% | 00 |
| People’s Party of Panama (PPP) | 7,315 | 01.20% | 00 |
| Workers' Revolutionary Party Workers' Revolutionary Party (Panama) Workers' Revolutionary Party is a Panamanian political party.The PRT was created in October 1983... (PRT) |
3,545 | 00.58% | 00 |
| Workers' Socialist Party (PST) | 1,283 | 00.21% | 00 |
| Total valid votes | 609,337 | 100% | 67 |
| Spoilt and invalid votes | 22.571 | 03.57% | |
| Total votes/Turnout | 631,908 | 68.86% | |
| Registered voters | 917,677 | ||
| Population | 2,130,000 | ||
Aftermath
"On 13 September 1985, a long-time opponent of Manuel Noriega, Hugo SpadaforaHugo Spadafora
Hugo Spadafora Franco was a Italian and Panamanian doctor and guerrilla fighter in Guinea-Bissau and Nicaragua. He criticized the military in Panama, which led to his murder in 1985....
, was murdered by Panamanian Defense Forces
Military of Panama
The Panamanian Public Forces are the national defense forces of Panama. Panama is the second country in Latin America to permanently abolish standing armies, leaving it with only small para-military forces. This came as a result of a US invasion that overthrew a military dictatorship which ruled...
officers. President Barletta
Nicolás Ardito Barletta Vallarino
Nicolás Ardito Barletta Vallarino was President of Panama from October 11, 1984 to September 28, 1985. He belonged to the Democratic Revolutionary Party ....
called for an investigation of Spadafora
Hugo Spadafora
Hugo Spadafora Franco was a Italian and Panamanian doctor and guerrilla fighter in Guinea-Bissau and Nicaragua. He criticized the military in Panama, which led to his murder in 1985....
’s death and allegations of Panamanian Defense Forces
Military of Panama
The Panamanian Public Forces are the national defense forces of Panama. Panama is the second country in Latin America to permanently abolish standing armies, leaving it with only small para-military forces. This came as a result of a US invasion that overthrew a military dictatorship which ruled...
complicity. These actions, in conjunction with a power struggle between Roberto Díaz Herrera
Roberto Díaz Herrera
Roberto Díaz Herrera was a Panamanian colonel under General Manuel Noriega and was most famous for his public denunciation of the Panamanian dictator in 1987. After General Noriega placed him under house arrest, Col. Díaz received much support from the Panamanian people, with many passing by his...
and Noriega, caused the Panamanian Defense Forces
Military of Panama
The Panamanian Public Forces are the national defense forces of Panama. Panama is the second country in Latin America to permanently abolish standing armies, leaving it with only small para-military forces. This came as a result of a US invasion that overthrew a military dictatorship which ruled...
to oust this increasingly unpopular president.
Barletta
Nicolás Ardito Barletta Vallarino
Nicolás Ardito Barletta Vallarino was President of Panama from October 11, 1984 to September 28, 1985. He belonged to the Democratic Revolutionary Party ....
resigned on 27 September 1985, and was replaced by First Vice-President Eric Arturo Delvalle
Eric Arturo Delvalle
Eric Arturo Delvalle Cohen-Henríquez is a former Panamanian head of state.Delvalle was born in Panama City. He is a member of the Latino fraternity Phi Iota Alpha. His brother Raúl is a former member of the National Assembly . Both he and his uncle, Max Delvalle, were members of the Kol Shearit...
who promised to return to “Torrijista principles".
"In 1987, the situation grew more critical, producing paralysis within the Panamanian Defense Forces
Military of Panama
The Panamanian Public Forces are the national defense forces of Panama. Panama is the second country in Latin America to permanently abolish standing armies, leaving it with only small para-military forces. This came as a result of a US invasion that overthrew a military dictatorship which ruled...
. The crisis came to a head in June 1987 when Colonel Roberto Díaz Herrera
Roberto Díaz Herrera
Roberto Díaz Herrera was a Panamanian colonel under General Manuel Noriega and was most famous for his public denunciation of the Panamanian dictator in 1987. After General Noriega placed him under house arrest, Col. Díaz received much support from the Panamanian people, with many passing by his...
, recently retired head of the Panamanian Defense Forces
Military of Panama
The Panamanian Public Forces are the national defense forces of Panama. Panama is the second country in Latin America to permanently abolish standing armies, leaving it with only small para-military forces. This came as a result of a US invasion that overthrew a military dictatorship which ruled...
High Command, denounced the internal management of General Noriega’s military organization. Díaz Herrera
Roberto Díaz Herrera
Roberto Díaz Herrera was a Panamanian colonel under General Manuel Noriega and was most famous for his public denunciation of the Panamanian dictator in 1987. After General Noriega placed him under house arrest, Col. Díaz received much support from the Panamanian people, with many passing by his...
’s act was the first public manifestation of a breach. In the face of the Panamanian Defense Forces
Military of Panama
The Panamanian Public Forces are the national defense forces of Panama. Panama is the second country in Latin America to permanently abolish standing armies, leaving it with only small para-military forces. This came as a result of a US invasion that overthrew a military dictatorship which ruled...
’s demonstrated weakness, the political sector began to mobilize and call for a confrontation with the military. Following the leadership of groups that appeared to have little political experience, they formed the ‘Cruzada Civilista’ for the purpose of overthrowing the Eric Arturo Delvalle
Eric Arturo Delvalle
Eric Arturo Delvalle Cohen-Henríquez is a former Panamanian head of state.Delvalle was born in Panama City. He is a member of the Latino fraternity Phi Iota Alpha. His brother Raúl is a former member of the National Assembly . Both he and his uncle, Max Delvalle, were members of the Kol Shearit...
government and convening a ‘constituyente’ assembly to draw up a new constitution".
"By late February 1988 the crisis further deepened as Eric Arturo Delvalle
Eric Arturo Delvalle
Eric Arturo Delvalle Cohen-Henríquez is a former Panamanian head of state.Delvalle was born in Panama City. He is a member of the Latino fraternity Phi Iota Alpha. His brother Raúl is a former member of the National Assembly . Both he and his uncle, Max Delvalle, were members of the Kol Shearit...
attempted to fire Noriega from the Panamanian Defense Forces
Military of Panama
The Panamanian Public Forces are the national defense forces of Panama. Panama is the second country in Latin America to permanently abolish standing armies, leaving it with only small para-military forces. This came as a result of a US invasion that overthrew a military dictatorship which ruled...
. Instead, Eric Arturo Delvalle
Eric Arturo Delvalle
Eric Arturo Delvalle Cohen-Henríquez is a former Panamanian head of state.Delvalle was born in Panama City. He is a member of the Latino fraternity Phi Iota Alpha. His brother Raúl is a former member of the National Assembly . Both he and his uncle, Max Delvalle, were members of the Kol Shearit...
was sacked by the Panamanian Defense Forces
Military of Panama
The Panamanian Public Forces are the national defense forces of Panama. Panama is the second country in Latin America to permanently abolish standing armies, leaving it with only small para-military forces. This came as a result of a US invasion that overthrew a military dictatorship which ruled...
-controlled National Assembly and Manuel Solis Palma
Manuel Solís Palma
Manuel Solís Palma was the acting president of Panama from February 26, 1988 to September 1, 1989. He belonged to the Democratic Revolutionary Party . He was born in Los Santos Province. He served as education minister from 2004-2009 in the administration of Martin Torrijos...
was elected ‘minister in charge of the presidency’".