According to a poll by Unimer published in La Prensa, 36.2 per cent of respondents would vote for Ricardo Martinelli in next year’s election, up 3.8 points since October.

Balbina Herrera of the governing Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD) is second with 30.8 per cent, followed by Juan Carlos Varela of the Panameñista Party (PPA) with 15.1 per cent, and former president Guillermo Endara of the Moral Vanguard of the Homeland (VMP) with 3.5 per cent.

PRD member Martín Torrijos—the son of Omar Torrijos, an army general who ruled Panama from 1968 to 1981—won the May 2004 presidential election with 47.44 per cent of the vote. Torrijos’ tenure has been marked by his support for an ambitious plan to expand the Panama Canal with an investment of $5.25 billion U.S. In October 2006, the proposal was ratified in a nationwide referendum.

Source: Angusreid Global Monitor

More on this topic

Martinelli Wins Panamanian Election

May 2009

The opposition Alliance for Change candidate was elected the next president of Panama by a wide margin.

With 91% of the polling stations having been examined, Ricardo Martinelli had obtained 60.31% of the votes, followed by the official candidate of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), Balbina Herrera, who had accumulated 37.33% and Guillermo Endara, who had received 2.35%.

Elections in Panama in Final Stretch

April 2009

The period for electoral propaganda ends today, just three days from the May 3 elections.

Panamanians will elect the successor to current President Martín Torrijos for the period 2009-2014.

Prensa.com reported: "The candidates for the Presidential Seat are: Ricardo Martinelli of the opposition Alliance for Change, the official candidate of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), Balbina Herrera and former president Guillermo Endara, of Moral Vanguard for the Country (VMP)."

Elections in Panama: Economic Programs

April 2009

For whoever wins the elections on May 3, the main challenge will be to maintain the economic growth that has averaged 8% annually in recent years.

Both the PRD (the Democratic Revolutionary Party, plus the Liberal Party and the People's Party) and Alianza para el Cambio (Democratic Change, the Patriotic Union, the Panamanian Party and Molirena), propose the continuation of the current macro-economic direction of the country, giving continuity to many of the programs conducted by the government of Martín Torrijos.

Panama: Growth and political stability

January 2009

The results of the elections could marginally change a lot of things but they cannot significantly alter the direction of the country.

The country of the Canal has been the Central American powerboat in the last few years. High figures in sustained economic growth has caught the attention of the world, and with the upcoming electoral campaign, international analysts see the reasons for the Panamanian bonanza "as a successful conjunction of politics, governmental decisions, and stability in regulations."