Juan Carlos Varela the current vice-president will be the next president of Panama. Two large parties united in the last election to beat the PRD who ran the left wing woman B. Herrera. Varela was the head of one and Martinelli the head of the other. PRD's decision to run Herrera was a disaster and they were wiped out everywhere, cities, states, federal level. They are in shambles and Navarro is trying to get control of the PRD so that can run sort of a little left of center.
However, in forming the ruling Cambio Democartico,(CD), the deal was struck that Varela would be the next candidate of the right wing, (right even of Regean), CD and would be supported by Martinelli to succeed him.
Martinelli has about a 70% approval rating. He was elected by the greatest majority in the history of the country. His party will control the Supreme Court for the next twelve years, and almost every month deputies of the PRD in the national assembly, where they are a minority, are quitting the party and joining the CD. At the rate of change the PRD will be a very small minority in the one house National Assembly by 2014.
Martinelli would be classified as a neo-populist. By definition, has liberal social policies for the poor combined with a strong right wind capitalistic view of economics. Probably due to life becoming a self-made millionaire when starting as a clerk in a Walmart in Arkansas. He is very well educated University of Arkansas as undergrad in business and his MBA from a very fine international school in Costa Rica. He is authoritarian in style, but that works in Latin America.
He is as pro-mining as you can find and so is Varela. No worries,
Panama will be developed into one of the biggest mining regions in the world.
AI
