AMERICA/PANAMA - Catholic Church Commission to oversee elections

Panama City (Agenzia Fides) – The Electoral Tribunal (in Spanish, TE) of Panama has signed an agreement allowing the Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Church in Panama to undertake electoral observation, with the goal of reaffirming its intention to facilitate “trustworthy” and “honest” presidential elections this coming May 3. The plan calls for the participation of over 1,000 observers throughout the country.
The Director of the Justice and Peace Commission, Maribel Jaen, said that the members of the organization “intend to facilitate an independent, national observation, with a Christian spirit of serving the common good.” The proposal of this agreement is to oversee the voting process via electoral observers, in order to give way to an authentic progress through the elections, with authenticity in the entire process, the Electoral Tribunal explained.
They also hope to encourage citizen participation, closely following the voting process, especially from prisons, hospitals, and rest homes. The agreement also allows the organization to register any anomalies or illegalities that could occur in the course of the vote and communicate the information to authorities.
The Catholic Church is also promoting an agreement on electoral ethics among the various presidential candidates, as occurred in the elections of 1994, 1999, and 2004, as the somewhat aggressive tone that the political campaign has had is a source of concern for many.
A total of 2.2 million Panamanians will be able to vote in the elections to take place this May 3, in which the following candidates will be running for President, for the term of 2009-2013: businessman Ricardo Martinelli (the favorite in the race), official Balbina Herrera, and former President Guillermo Endara (1989-1994). (RG) (Agenzia Fides 17/2/2009)