Legisladores del partido gobernante contrariados

ID DOC: 52595

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FECHA: 0000-00-00 00:00:00

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FUENTE: Embassy Panama

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PRIVACIDAD: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

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REFERENCIA: VZCZCXYZ0000PP RUEHWEBDE RUEHZP #0303/01 0462048ZNY CCCCC ZZHP 152048Z FEB 06FM AMEMBASSY PANAMATO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7404INFO RUEHVV/ISLAMIC CONFERENCE COLLECTIVERUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVERUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 2170RUE

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UNCLAS PANAMA 000267



SIPDIS



SENSITIVE

SIPDIS



DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN, AND INL

SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD



E.O. 12958:N/A

TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PINR, SNAR, PM

SUBJECT: PANAMA: RULING PARTY LEGISLATORS DISGRUNTLED AT

PRESIDENT TORRIJOS





SUMMARY

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1. (SBU) PRD legislators are angry at President Martin

Torrijos for failing to consult and for ordering them

around. Several ruling-party legislators told Emboff

recently that they are disappointed and feel "used" by a

Torrijos leadership style they see as arrogant, high-handed,

presumptuous, and abusive. The lawmakers further complained

that Torrijos is strongly influenced by non-PRD elite

Panamanians, such as VP/Foreign Minister Samuel Lewis,

lawyer Jaime Arias and his older brother, Christian

Democratic Party/Partido Popular founder (and former VP)

Ricardo Arias Calderon. Despite their private misgivings

and against their better judgment, legislators say Torrijos

in December "forced" them unnecessarily (but

constitutionally) to grant him special legislative decree

powers. Panama's 1972 Constitution, promulgated by military

dictator Omar Torrijos, father of Martin, concentrates power

in the executive, while making legislators prisoners of

their parties yet unaccountable to their constituents.

Dissatisfaction within the PRD could spell trouble for

Torrijos down the road. End summary.



No consultation

---------------

2. (SBU) In separate recent meetings with Emboff, several

ruling party legislators expressed disappointment and anger,

and confided that they feel "used" by the GOP and

specifically by President Torrijos. (Note: Emboff met

separately with Chairman of the Legislative Health Committee

Jose Baruco; former Majority Leader and current Chairman of

the Credentials Committee Freidi Torres; and Chairman of the

Labor Committee Leandro Avila.)



3. (SBU) Legislator Baruco commented that even though as

Torrijos controls the Assembly (his party has 43 out of 78

legislators) which assures the approval of all of his bills,

Torrijos should at least consult with them. "He abuses us.

From him we only get "you do this and you do that." The

Executive branch doesn't even bother to ask for our

opinions," Baruco lamented. Baruco was also embarrassed to

admit that the National Assembly had ratified Supreme Court

alternate Justice Janina Small last December even though she

did not meet all the legal requirements. We ratified her

just because he asked for it, Baruco said. We did not even

look at her background. Now we have to do it all over

again. (Note: Civil society representatives, including the

President of the National Bar Association, publicly

criticized the appointment and ratification of Small as

illegal. The GOP was forced to withdraw the appointment and

is now in the process of appointing a new alternate justice.

End note.)



Special legislative powers

--------------------------

4. (SBU) Last December, at President Torrijos's request the

PRD-controlled National Assembly granted him special

legislative powers ("poderes especiales") to rule by decree

while the assembly is in recess (Jan 1-February 28) to rule

on ten specific topics. Legislators Jose Baruco and Freidi

Torres claimed that he should have not asked for approval to

rule on ten topics. They agreed though that he needed to

create a Canal trust urgently to start using Canal funds for

social projects and thereby aid the chances for passage of a

referendum to widen the Canal.



5. (SBU) Labor Chairman Leandro Avila, who has one of the

most impressive electoral mandates in the country, told

Emboff that he did not show up for the vote to grant special

legislative powers to Torrijos and did not send his

alternate to vote either. "He (Torrijos) has too much power

as it is, he did not need more," Avila complained.



PRD outside, but not inside ("PRD solo por fuera no por

dentro")

--------------------------------------------- ----------

6. (SBU) One of the complaints common to these legislators

and other PRDers is that Torrijos does not listen to the

broad voice of the party during the decision-making process



as in past PRD administrations. Former Majority Leader

Torres said that the secret motto inside the party is that

Torrijos is "PRD outside but not inside" referring to

Torrijos's alleged disregard of the PRD membership.

According to Torres and Avila, and other Embassy contacts,

Vice President and Foreign Minister Samuel Lewis Navarro and

lawyer Jaime "Jimmy" Arias strongly influence Torrijos.

"They are the only ones he listens to (Baruco, Torres, and

Avila all agreed.)" (Note: Both Lewis and Arias are members

of Panama's white "rabiblanco" and are not members of the

PRD.) The legislators acknowledged that PRDers Jorge

Eduardo Ritter (a former Foreign Minister under the Noriega

military regime) and Adolfo Ahumada (Canal board member and

senior advisor to Foreign Minister Lewis) do exert influence

on President Torrijos.



The "small group"

----------------

7. (SBU) Legislator Torres shared with Emboff that key

traditional PRD activists have formed what they call the

"petite comite" which often meets discretely to discuss,

analize and complain among themselves about President

Torrijos and his decisions. The petite comite includes

Housing Minister Balbina Herrera (probably the most popular

cabinet member), Minister of Government and Justice Hector

Aleman, Legislative President (and fifth term legislator)

Elias Castillo and Torres. Herrera and Aleman both aspire

to the vice presidential nomination in 2009 and must be

discreet as not to anger Torrijos and risk losing support,

not to mention fear of his potential influence over the

party's 2009 presidential candidate.



A PB comeback?

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8. (SBU) Former Panamanian President Ernesto Perez

Balladares (1994-1999), who has openly criticized Torrijos

for not employing PRDs in the government after taking power,

among other things, is campaigning to become the party

President during the 2007 internal elections. Though Perez

Balladares is not well liked within the party, many

disgruntled party members could end up supporting him the

three legislators agreed. His possibilities to win could

increase if either (Cabinet members) Herrera or Aleman

decide to support him. Current Panama City Mayor Juan

Carlos Navarro is quietly but actively campaigning for a

2009 presidential candidacy. But Navarro is being careful

prior to 2007 PRD internal elections are still props_stories.



Comment:

--------



The 1972 military constitution

------------------------------

9. (U) Panama is ruled by a dictator's constitution

promulgated in 1972 under the late General Omar Torrijos's

military regime. Though amended in 1983, 1994 and 2004, the

constitution fosters a "strong Presidentialist system".

Legislative seats do not belong to the individual who ran

for election, but to the party that nominated the

individual. Once elected, legislators are not accountable

to their constituents, but to their party. Though they

nominally represent an electoral district, in fact they

become national legislators and there is no way for voters

to demand actions from them. Panamanian electoral law,

backed by the Constitution, allows political parties to

bring legislators to internal trial in case they vote

against the "party line" and can lose their seats if they

defy party orders. Legislators become prisoners of their

parties.



10. (SBU) Regardless of internal PRD complaints against

Torrijos and his ruling style, nothing in Panama will change

under his administration or future ones without in-depth

amendments to the Constitution and the Electoral law. There

are no indications that the ruling party (PRD) or the

largest opposition party, Partido Panameista, would support

such in-depth reforms. Party leaders enjoy and profit from

the level of power they exercise over their legislators.

What's going on under the Torrijos administration has



happened in the past and is not news. But societal changes

and demands for more participation are encouraging

legislators to speak up.



Eaton #