The mayor José Isabel Blandón prevailed in the Panamanian

The mayor José Isabel Blandón prevailed in the Panamanian

Mayor Blandón promised to carry out a great administrative revolution with the revision and modernization of the organic laws of many institutions that, he assures, have become obsolete.

By: La Estrella de Panama

The capital's mayor, José Isabel Blandón, who has distanced himself from the government of the President of the Republic, Juan Carlos Varela, was elected yesterday as the presidential candidate of the official Panameñista Party for the 2019 general elections.

In the process of primary elections of this political group, made yesterday, Blandón surpassed the former Minister of Housing and Territorial Planning (Miviot) Mario Etchelecu, who was his closest contender in the search for the presidential candidacy of this group. There were ten participants in these elections.

At 6:09 in the afternoon, the mayor of the capital received the official communication from the Electoral Tribunal (TE), that he had been elected as the winner of these primaries in which a 49.1% participation was registered.

Blandón obtained the victory with 56.74% of the preferences (91,209 votes), while Etchelecu added 38.1% (61,380 votes) and Ada Romero, who was in third place, achieved 1.3% support, 2083 votes.

After the triumph, Blandón expressed in his speech that with this result a new stage begins and that he and the Panamanians begin to write a story never before written in Panamanian politics.

'It is perhaps the first time in the history of the Republic that a presidential candidate has been a deputy and mayor before; It is the first time that the acting mayor of the capital district is the presidential candidate. But that is not the only difference with this candidacy, this aspiration does not arise from the bowels of the Creole oligarchy, but is genuinely popular, championed by a professional of the middle class, born inside the Republic, from the bosom of a humble family with no surname of ancestry, "he said.

He added that it was time to end the practice of using 'band-aid' and propose half solutions. "The country is not built on solid foundations only with megaprojects, but, mainly, on public institutions that have legitimacy and credibility."

CONSTITUENT

He announced that, if elected President of the Republic, he will call a referendum in the first week of the government so that it is the people who decide whether or not they want a new constituent.

Throughout this campaign, the candidate indicated, will present concrete proposals explaining what and how it will be done.

'The reform of the State will be one of my main objectives, that includes the constitutional change. I think it's the most democratic way to equip ourselves with a new constitution; a new constitution to change the way to elect the deputies, to change the way to choose the magistrates of the Court, to take power from the Executive, to strengthen local governments, "he said.

He also committed to make a great administrative revolution, the revision and modernization of the organic laws of many institutions that have become obsolete.

He added that decentralization will be one of his priorities and in that sense, he acknowledged to President Varela 'the courage, the detachment from initiating this process of decentralization. With me this process will not only continue, but it will deepen ",

CSS AND EDUCATION

The presidential standard-bearer of Panamaniacism announced that it will face problems whose solutions are well known, but that have been evaded for years, for fear of the so-called political cost.

Among these, he mentioned the crisis of the Social Security Fund (SSC), the high cost of medicines, the modernization of education, the rescue of the agricultural sector, the clean-up of the administration of justice.

PROPOSALS

Decentralization

If elected president, Blandón promised to allocate an additional budget to local governments throughout the country, starting in 2020, equivalent to 1% of the general budget of the State, which currently means an additional $ 240 million for local governments.

"These are some issues on which, the most important thing is to have the political will and the ability to make the changes that these sectors require," he said.

He also stated that he looks forward to the moment of the presidential debates. 'I hope and trust that there is not a candidate who flee from these debates and I assure you something, I will always do my homework, because they will not see me committing plagiarism or repeating which papagallo what another political consultant wrote to a candidate in another country'.

He informed that it will give continuity to projects that have been positive and beneficial for the population.

'What has been of benefit to the people will continue; what presents good opportunities, will improve and what has meant delays, will be eliminated, "he said.

In a message on Twitter, President Varela praised the internal process of his party. 'Congratulations to the @ Panameñistas for a strong, decent and fair campaign. I also congratulate @BlandonJose for his official nomination and @MarioEtchelecu for a great campaign, 'he said.

OTHER CHARGES

In other positions of popular election that were in dispute in this internal struggle of Panamanianism, the deputy Adolfo Valderrama won his candidacy for the Mayor of Panama.

The majority of Panamanian deputies won their seats to elect re-election in their posts, except Gabriel 'Panky' Soto, of the circuit 8-1, in Arraiján, who was outbid by the former director of the Institute for Training and Achievement of Human Resources (Ifarhu), Yessenia Rodríguez.

In this circuit, Panamanianism reserved two positions of the three seats available for this constituency.

While for the mayor of La Chorrera, Panamanianism will lead as its standard bearer to the ex-deputy Alberto Barranco.