Panamanian general election, 1989
Encyclopedia
The Panama held a general election on 7 May 1989, electing both a new President of the Republic and a new Legislative Assembly.
The death of Arnulfo Arias
in August 1988, a few days before his eighty-seventh birthday, removed a major obstacle to opposition unity, but also created several new problems. It left the opposition without a charismatic national leader to place at the head of any 1989 electoral ticket.
The PPA, Panama's leading opposition party, divided in December 1988. The Electoral Tribunal formally recognized the faction led by Hildebrando Nicosia Pérez as the legitimate party representative, entitling Nicosia and his colleagues to use the party symbols. According to the opposition, the government engineered the division in the party to sow confusion among the electorate. However, Nicosia's effort to present himself as the heir of Arias
was singularly unsuccessful according to the opposition's election results, which showed him receiving less than one percent of the vote . A majority of the PPA's hierarchy supported the anti-government Democratic Alliance of Civic Opposition (ADOC); the party's secretary-general, Guillermo Endara
, was ADOC's presidential candidate. Denied use of the PPA symbol, Endara
and the party's legislative candidates competed under the banner of the Authentic Liberal Party, which is the product of a schism that developed in the Liberal Party prior to the 1984 elections
. The Noriega regime also provoked a split in the Republican Party
(RP), but the majority of the legitimate leadership of the RP participated in the ADOC coalition.
Opposing the government coalition (ADOC) were three major parties—the PDC, MOLIRENA, and PLA. ADOC also had the support of the small Popular Action Party (PAPA), and National Peoples Party
(PNP), and defectors from the Liberal and Republican parties, and a dissident faction of the PPA. In addition to Endara
, ADOC's electoral slate included Ricardo Arias Calderón of the PDC for first vice president and Guillermo Ford
of MOLIRENA for second vice president.
Progovernment parties - the PRD, PALA, PR, PL, PPR, PPP, PAN, PDT had formed a new electoral coalition, the National Liberation Coalition (COLINA). The PRD was the coalition's leading party and its president, Carlos Alberto Duque Jaén, a business associate of Manuel Noriega, was the coalition's presidential candidate. COLINA's other significant party was PALA, led by Ramón Sieiro Murgas, the coalition's candidate for first vice president and a brother-in-law of Manuel Noriega. COLINA's candidate for second vice president was Aquilino Boyd
, former foreign minister, and former ambassador to the United States
, the United Nations
and, most recently, the Organization of American States
. COLINA, in presenting a united slate for the legislature, contained a broad ideological spectrum that included Communist Party members, businessmen and professionals.
An exit poll of 1,022 voters gave the opposition an overwhelming victory: 55.1% for Endara
, but only 39.5% for Duque. The margin shocked Noriega, who either was misled by advisers or really believed that the election would be close enough to manipulate with minimal fraud.
On 9 May, government-released results gave a clear-cut lead to Duque. Opposition forces - as well as foreign observers and the clergy - thereupon claimed massive election irregularities since by their own count there had been a contrary outcome, with Endara
the overwhelming winner. Parliamentary results for their part indicated an opposition victory.
On 10 May the president of the Electoral Tribunal read a statement signed by all three magistrates annulling the elections. The statement alluded to the fact that the great number of irregularities across the country made counting the votes impossible.
Coupled with a brutal attack on opposition leaders in the streets of Panama City, the nullification decree outraged Panamanians and the international community. In an emergency session on 17 May, the Organization of American States
adopted a resolution condemning the regime for its actions.
On 31 August the Council of State dissolves the National Assembly and names a provisional government headed by ex-Attorney General Francisco Rodríguez
and announced that he would consider holding another election in six months.
On 15 December the immediate events that triggered the invasion began when Panama’s hand-picked National Assembly declared Manuel Antonio Noriega the de jure head of state, draping him with the title of Maximum Leader. Then the assembly, citing aggression against the Panamanian people, declared the republic in a state of war with the United States
.
On 20 December “24,000 US troops invade in ‘Operation Just Cause’. Noriega surrenders to US forces, is shipped to Miami and indicted on drugs charges".
On 20 December "the fact that President Guillermo Endara
was installed in office on a U.S. Air Force base during the 1989 invasion provides Panamanians with a graphic illustration of American influence".
On 27 December, the Electoral Tribunal revoked the annulment of the general elections held on 7 May.
On 23 February 1990, the Electoral Tribunal, working on voting returns of the May 1989 elections confirmed the election of 58 of the 67 legislators with 51 seats going to the ADOC coalition and only six to the pro-Noriega PRD.
On 27 January 1991, by-elections were held for the nine seats of the Legislative Assembly which could not be filled at the May 1989 general elections. The PRD’s victory in five of the seats deepened internal divisions in the government coalition.
In April 1991, the ADOC coalition finally unraveled when President Endara
accused the PDC and its leader, Vice-President Ricardo Arias Calderón, of attempting to undermine and weaken his government.
The death of Arnulfo 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 :...
in August 1988, a few days before his eighty-seventh birthday, removed a major obstacle to opposition unity, but also created several new problems. It left the opposition without a charismatic national leader to place at the head of any 1989 electoral ticket.
The PPA, Panama's leading opposition party, divided in December 1988. The Electoral Tribunal formally recognized the faction led by Hildebrando Nicosia Pérez as the legitimate party representative, entitling Nicosia and his colleagues to use the party symbols. According to the opposition, the government engineered the division in the party to sow confusion among the electorate. However, Nicosia's effort to present himself as the heir of 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 :...
was singularly unsuccessful according to the opposition's election results, which showed him receiving less than one percent of the vote . A majority of the PPA's hierarchy supported the anti-government Democratic Alliance of Civic Opposition (ADOC); the party's secretary-general, Guillermo Endara
Guillermo Endara
Guillermo David Endara Galimany was the President of Panama from 1989 to 1994. He ran for office in 2004 and 2009 but lost to the former President Martin Torrijos and to the incumbent President Ricardo Martinelli....
, was ADOC's presidential candidate. Denied use of the PPA symbol, Endara
Guillermo Endara
Guillermo David Endara Galimany was the President of Panama from 1989 to 1994. He ran for office in 2004 and 2009 but lost to the former President Martin Torrijos and to the incumbent President Ricardo Martinelli....
and the party's legislative candidates competed under the banner of the Authentic Liberal Party, which is the product of a schism that developed in the Liberal Party prior to the 1984 elections
Panamanian general election, 1984
The Panama held a general election on 6 May 1984, electing both a new President of the Republic and a new Legislative Assembly.-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...
. The Noriega regime also provoked a split in the 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...
(RP), but the majority of the legitimate leadership of the RP participated in the ADOC coalition.
Opposing the government coalition (ADOC) were three major parties—the PDC, MOLIRENA, and PLA. ADOC also had the support of the small Popular Action Party (PAPA), and National Peoples Party
National Peoples Party
The National Peoples Party is a political party in Pakistan most active in the province of Sindh and southern parts of Punjab. It was founded in 1986 by Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi after falling out with Benazir Bhutto and leaving her Pakistan Peoples Party.In the 2008 Pakistani general elections the...
(PNP), and defectors from the Liberal and Republican parties, and a dissident faction of the PPA. In addition to Endara
Guillermo Endara
Guillermo David Endara Galimany was the President of Panama from 1989 to 1994. He ran for office in 2004 and 2009 but lost to the former President Martin Torrijos and to the incumbent President Ricardo Martinelli....
, ADOC's electoral slate included Ricardo Arias Calderón of the PDC for first vice president and Guillermo Ford
Guillermo Ford
Guillermo "Billy" Ford Boyd was a Vice President of Panama. He was one of the running mates of presidential candidate Guillermo Endara during the 1989 Panamanian election campaign...
of MOLIRENA for second vice president.
Progovernment parties - the PRD, PALA, PR, PL, PPR, PPP, PAN, PDT had formed a new electoral coalition, the National Liberation Coalition (COLINA). The PRD was the coalition's leading party and its president, Carlos Alberto Duque Jaén, a business associate of Manuel Noriega, was the coalition's presidential candidate. COLINA's other significant party was PALA, led by Ramón Sieiro Murgas, the coalition's candidate for first vice president and a brother-in-law of Manuel Noriega. COLINA's candidate for second vice president was Aquilino Boyd
Aquilino Boyd
Aquilino Edgardo Boyd de la Guardia was a Panamanian politician, diplomatist and lawyer....
, former foreign minister, and former ambassador to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and, most recently, the Organization of American States
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
. COLINA, in presenting a united slate for the legislature, contained a broad ideological spectrum that included Communist Party members, businessmen and professionals.
An exit poll of 1,022 voters gave the opposition an overwhelming victory: 55.1% for Endara
Guillermo Endara
Guillermo David Endara Galimany was the President of Panama from 1989 to 1994. He ran for office in 2004 and 2009 but lost to the former President Martin Torrijos and to the incumbent President Ricardo Martinelli....
, but only 39.5% for Duque. The margin shocked Noriega, who either was misled by advisers or really believed that the election would be close enough to manipulate with minimal fraud.
On 9 May, government-released results gave a clear-cut lead to Duque. Opposition forces - as well as foreign observers and the clergy - thereupon claimed massive election irregularities since by their own count there had been a contrary outcome, with Endara
Guillermo Endara
Guillermo David Endara Galimany was the President of Panama from 1989 to 1994. He ran for office in 2004 and 2009 but lost to the former President Martin Torrijos and to the incumbent President Ricardo Martinelli....
the overwhelming winner. Parliamentary results for their part indicated an opposition victory.
On 10 May the president of the Electoral Tribunal read a statement signed by all three magistrates annulling the elections. The statement alluded to the fact that the great number of irregularities across the country made counting the votes impossible.
Coupled with a brutal attack on opposition leaders in the streets of Panama City, the nullification decree outraged Panamanians and the international community. In an emergency session on 17 May, the Organization of American States
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
adopted a resolution condemning the regime for its actions.
On 31 August the Council of State dissolves the National Assembly and names a provisional government headed by ex-Attorney General Francisco Rodríguez
Francisco Rodriguez
Francisco Rodriguez may refer to:*Francisco Rodríguez , Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers who is nicknamed "K-Rod"...
and announced that he would consider holding another election in six months.
On 15 December the immediate events that triggered the invasion began when Panama’s hand-picked National Assembly declared Manuel Antonio Noriega the de jure head of state, draping him with the title of Maximum Leader. Then the assembly, citing aggression against the Panamanian people, declared the republic in a state of war with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
On 20 December “24,000 US troops invade in ‘Operation Just Cause’. Noriega surrenders to US forces, is shipped to Miami and indicted on drugs charges".
On 20 December "the fact that President Guillermo Endara
Guillermo Endara
Guillermo David Endara Galimany was the President of Panama from 1989 to 1994. He ran for office in 2004 and 2009 but lost to the former President Martin Torrijos and to the incumbent President Ricardo Martinelli....
was installed in office on a U.S. Air Force base during the 1989 invasion provides Panamanians with a graphic illustration of American influence".
On 27 December, the Electoral Tribunal revoked the annulment of the general elections held on 7 May.
On 23 February 1990, the Electoral Tribunal, working on voting returns of the May 1989 elections confirmed the election of 58 of the 67 legislators with 51 seats going to the ADOC coalition and only six to the pro-Noriega PRD.
On 27 January 1991, by-elections were held for the nine seats of the Legislative Assembly which could not be filled at the May 1989 general elections. The PRD’s victory in five of the seats deepened internal divisions in the government coalition.
In April 1991, the ADOC coalition finally unraveled when President Endara
Guillermo Endara
Guillermo David Endara Galimany was the President of Panama from 1989 to 1994. He ran for office in 2004 and 2009 but lost to the former President Martin Torrijos and to the incumbent President Ricardo Martinelli....
accused the PDC and its leader, Vice-President Ricardo Arias Calderón, of attempting to undermine and weaken his government.
Presidential election results
| Candidate | Party/Alliance | Votes | % | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guillermo Endara Guillermo Endara Guillermo David Endara Galimany was the President of Panama from 1989 to 1994. He ran for office in 2004 and 2009 but lost to the former President Martin Torrijos and to the incumbent President Ricardo Martinelli.... |
Democratic Alliance of Civic Opposition (ADOC) | 463,388 | 71.18% | 473,838 | 71.19% |
| 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) |
261,598 | 40.18% | ?? | ?? | |
| National Liberal Republican Movement (MOLIRENA) | 132,011 | 20.28% | ?? | ?? | |
| Authentic Liberal Party (PLA) | 69,779 | 10.72% | ?? | ?? | |
| Carlos Alberto Duque Jaén | National Liberal Coalition (COLINA) | 184,900 | 28.40% | 188,914 | 28.38% |
| 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) |
120,564 | 18.52% | ?? | ?? | |
| 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) |
35,264 | 05.42% | ?? | ?? | |
| Liberal Party (PL) | 12,718 | 01.95% | ?? | ?? | |
| 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) |
5,584 | 00.86% | ?? | ?? | |
| Revolutionary Panameñista Party (PPR) | 5,533 | 00.85% | ?? | ?? | |
| People’s Party of Panama (PPP) | 2,919 | 00.45% | ?? | ?? | |
| Nationalist Action Party (PAN) | 1,463 | 00.22% | ?? | ?? | |
| Democratic Worker's Party Democratic Worker's Party Democratic Worker's Party was a Panamanian small left-of-center party.The Democratic Worker's Party was founded on 31 January 1985.... (PDT) |
855 | 00.13% | ?? | ?? | |
| Hildebrando Nicosia Pérez | Authentic Panameñista Party (PPA) | 2,750 | 00.42% | 2,822 | 00.42% |
| Total valid votes | 651,038 | 100% | 665,574 | 100% | |
| Spoilt and invalid votes | 66733 | 09.30% | 92223 | 12.17% | |
| Total votes/Turnout | 717,771 | 60.48% | 757797 | 63.85% | |
| Registered voters | 11867,54 | 1186754 | |||
| Population | 2239239 | 2239239 | |||
Legislative election
| Parties and alliances | Votes/districts | % | Seats 7.5.1989 | Seats 27.1.1991 | Seats total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Alliance of Civic Opposition (ADOC) | 404,834 | 66.45% | 51 | 04 | 55 |
| 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) |
219,944 | 36.10% | 27 | 02 | 28 |
| National Liberal Republican Movement (MOLIRENA) | 122,974 | 20.19% | 15 | 02 | 16 |
| Authentic Liberal Party (PLA) | 61,916 | 10.16% | 09 | 00 | 05 |
| Arnulfista Party (PA) | — | — | — | 00 | 06 |
| National Liberal Coalition (COLINA) | 201,382 | 33.06% | 07 | 05 | 12 |
| 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) |
114,741 | 18.83% | 06 | 04 | 10 |
| 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) |
47,775 | 07.84% | 01 | 00 | 01 |
| Liberal Party (PL) | 17,712 | 02.91% | 00 | 01 | 01 |
| 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) |
8,602 | 01.41% | 00 | 00 | 00 |
| People’s Party of Panama (PPP) | 4,988 | 00.82% | 00 | 00 | 00 |
| Nationalist Action Party (PAN) | 3,572 | 00.59% | 00 | 00 | 00 |
| Revolutionary Panameñista Party (PPR) | 2,917 | 00.48% | 00 | 00 | 00 |
| Democratic Worker's Party Democratic Worker's Party Democratic Worker's Party was a Panamanian small left-of-center party.The Democratic Worker's Party was founded on 31 January 1985.... (PDT) |
1,075 | 00.18% | 00 | 00 | 00 |
| Authentic Panameñista Party (PPA) | 3,015 | 00.49% | 00 | 00 | 00 |
| Total valid votes | 609,231 | 100% | 67 | 09 | 67 |
| Spoilt and invalid votes | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Total votes/Turnout | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| Registered voters | 1186754 | ||||
| Population | 2239239 | ||||