VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHZP #0381/01 1322034
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 122034Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY PANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3371
INFO RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L PANAMA 000381 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/06/2019 
TAGS: PGOV PM PREL
SUBJECT: PANAMA: PRD SCRAMBLING AFTER SWEEPING ELECTORAL 
DEFEAT 
 
Classified By: Classified by: Ambassador Barbara J. Stephenson for reas 
ons 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) The Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD) - Panama's 
largest and traditionally best organized political party - is 
suffering immensely from its resounding May 3 electoral 
defeat.  "Alliance for Change" candidate Ricardo Martinelli's 
overwhelming victory over the PRD has caused the ruling party 
to scramble as it attempts to come to terms with its 
disappointing electoral results.  Former presidential 
candidate Balbina Herrera has declared herself the opposition 
leader while former President Ernesto "El Toro" Perez 
Balladares called for the resignation of the PRD's National 
Executive Committee (CEN).  Shortly after the election, 
former VP candidate Juan Carlos Navarro called a press 
conference where he blamed Herrera for the PRD's defeat.  The 
results of the May 3, 2009 general election have created a 
new alignment of the political parties in Panama, and the PRD 
will need a cohesive strategy to move forward as an effective 
opposition force. 
 
 
------------------------------------------ 
"El Toro" Calls for Resignation of the CEN 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶2. (U) Shortly following Martinelli's landslide presidential 
victory, former President Ernesto "El Toro" Perez Balladares 
publicly called for the resignation of the current members of 
the PRD's CEN, the governing board of the party.  "If they 
have any decency, they will resign," El Toro asserted while 
adding that in 1999 after then-PRD presidential candidate, 
Martin Torrijos, was defeated by Mireya Moscoso for the 
presidency, members of the CEN resigned and new party 
leadership was elected.  (Comment: The current CEN is 
composed of Secretary General Martin Torrijos, President 
Balbina Herrera, First VP Elias Castillo, Second VP Benjamin 
Colamarco, First Sub-Secretary Juan Carlos Navarro, Second 
Sub-Secretary Hector Aleman, Third Sub-Secretary Pedro Miguel 
Gonzalez, Fourth Sub-Secretary Belgis Castro, and Fifth 
Sub-Secretary Rodrigo Diaz). 
 
 
------------------------------------------ 
Balbina Declares Herself Opposition Leader 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶3. (U) "The Panamanian people have ratified that I am their 
opposition leader...I will lead a responsible and energetic 
opposition that will hold the new administration accountable 
for its promises," Balbina Herrera declared in her concession 
speech on the evening of May 3.  She asserted that the CEN 
was elected to serve its term and the leadership will not 
change before the next CEN elections set for 2013.  She then 
told the public that after a few days of rest, she would 
begin a country-wide tour to reconnect with the party's 
supporters throughout the country and prepare for 2014, 
suggesting that she is already eyeing the next presidential 
election.  Nonetheless, Herrera admitted that the electoral 
process in the run-up to the 2009 presidential election was 
overly exhausting and said that general campaigns should not 
last longer than 45 days. 
 
 
------------------------------------------- 
Navarro Blames Balbina for Electoral Defeat 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) "I understand that after she (Balbina) carried the PRD 
into an electoral disaster, she might feel a little resentful 
and beaten...but it is not correct to put personal ambitions 
before those of the country or the party," Juan Carlos 
Navarro told the press less than 24 hours after Herrera's 
electoral defeat in a clear move to distance himself from 
Herrera's loss and position himself for a prominent 
leadership role within the party.  Navarro also took a swipe 
at President Torrijos by alluding to the press that the 
President had promoted the rupture of a pact which would have 
set up Navarro as the PRD's 2009 presidential candidate and 
designating Balbina Herrera to seek the mayorship of Panama 
City.  Navarro called for a meeting of the CEN -- of which he 
serves as a member -- and for the party leadership to be held 
 
accountable for the leadership decisions which led the PRD to 
its "worst defeat in history" on May 3. 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
PRD Reacts to Internal Spats, Martinelli's Tsunami 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶5. (SBU) "He (Navarro) had to come out publicly against 
Balbina because she had already said she was ready for 2014. 
He needs to stay ahead of her...after her huge loss, now is 
the time," re-elected PRD Deputy Miguel "Micky" Aleman told 
the Political Section, and added that he was thrilled with 
his re-election in San Miguelito.  The PRD received quite a 
beating in the National Assembly, which they have controlled 
under the Torrijos administration.  The PRD will hold far 
fewer seats in the National Assembly than the "Alliance for 
Change" coalition, which won 42 seats.  Several PRD 
heavyweights will not have a presence in the legislature, 
including U.S. fugitive and former National Assembly 
President Pedro Miguel Gonzalez who lost his seat to the 
"Alliance for Change" candidate Francisco Brea.  In fact, the 
only member of the CEN who will have a National Assembly 
presence will be Elias Castillo.  Re-elected Local PRD 
representative from San Francisco, Carlos Perez Herrera, told 
the Political Section, "Thank goodness the tsunami did not 
hit me." 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The PRD - Panama's largest and traditionally best 
organized political party - is suffering immensely from its 
resounding May 3 electoral defeat.  Its internal, but 
sometimes very public, spats have been a focal point for 
local press coverage.  The PRD will need a comprehensive and 
cohesive strategy that is agreed upon by the party's various 
factions to constructively move forward as a unified 
opposition force.  Of the various factions in the PRD, 
Balbina Herrera and Hector Aleman form a group that tends to 
lean toward the left (Tendencia).  Martin Torrijos, Samuel 
Lewis, and Juan Carlos Navarro generally comprise the 
moderate faction within the PRD.  Ernesto "El Toro" Perez 
Balladares also leads a conservative group within the party. 
Navarro, however, is trying to peel away moderates toward the 
right of the spectrum to align with El Toro, most likely to 
better position Navarro for a presidential run in 2014. 
Lewis has already hinted at his presidential ambitions for 
2014, telling the press that after the Torrijos 
administration steps down on July 1, he plans to return to 
his private business interests and then focus on politics. 
Finally, although Hector Aleman served as Balbina Herrera's 
campaign manager, the two now appear to be at odds. 
 
¶7. (C) If the PRD continues to battle internally over its 
leadership and party direction, it could morph into a party 
with a very different organization, potentially altering its 
base of support.  One possibility is that the moderate 
faction could disappear, leaving a polarized party battling 
between two extremes.  Another possibility is that the 
leftist faction could eventually be pushed out of the party 
if the moderate and conservative factions gain enough clout. 
The PRD will need to come to grips and better compete within 
the new alignment of the political parties in Panama, which 
has resulted from the May 3, 2009 general elections. 
 
STEPHENSON