Panama goes to the polls to elect authorities

The magistrate of the Electoral Court of Panama, Eduardo Valdés Escoffery (Left to right) President of the National Assembly, Sergio Gálvez; President of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli; and the presiding judge of the Electoral Tribunal, Erasmo Pinilla, participate in the official act that today summoned the next general elections in the country.
This Sunday Panama will have its election day with the participation of nearly four million people who will go to the polls to choose their president, who will govern the next five years.
In the buildup to the elections there is no a clear favorite. The three best placed candidates are almost tied in the surveys.
Juan Carlos Navarro (Democratic Revolutionary Party), Juan Carlos Varela (Panamanian Party) and José Domingo Arias (Democratic Change), are going to settle this Sunday the presidency in the context of the closest elections in the country’s history.
Voters will also choose 71 deputies to the National Assembly, 77 mayors, 648 representatives of districts (cantons), seven council members and 20 deputies to the Central American Parliament (Parlacen).
Units of the security forces were assigned to polling stations to ensure order in the presence of national and international observers and volunteer assistance.