A few days ago, the former deputy and aspiring to the presidency of the opposition Panameñista party, Katleen Levy, challenged the current president of the José Isabel Blandón collective to a debate, who aspires to be reelected in office, but the latter practically ruled out this challenge.
Blandón, when interviewed on RPC Radio on the subject, did not answer with a yes or no and limited himself to pointing out the following: “When you go upstairs and have done a job as we have been doing, our conversation should be with the party bases. I understand that in the desperation of not having the votes there are challenges and challenges and all kinds of things, but what I would like is that between now and January 20, when the campaign ends, (Levy) presents his proposals. So far I have not heard a single proposal and to present what has been that execution as National Secretary of Youth, a position that he still occupies ”.
For his part, Levy, stated in the Panama Hoy evening news program on Radio Panama: “All I have asked of him is that we go to a debate to see what is being done with the electoral subsidy, a debate to render transparency and accountability. to the entire party membership. I am not attacking him, I am only telling the reality of him and how he has our party ”.
‘I have no relationship with that person’
Levy has denounced the existence of a campaign against him on social networks and “call centers”, for which he warned that he will proceed legally to find those responsible.
She made reference to the document that was circulated on networks that allegedly link her to a person who is being wanted by the competent authorities for drug trafficking and gang-related crimes.
“That is something that has been circulating, it is not known if it is a false or true report, I have already empowered my lawyers to file a complaint, since I do not maintain any relationship with the person mentioned there, never, from No way or form: neither commercial nor personal, what’s more, I believe that as proof I lose the 2019 elections, if I had gotten the support of these people today, I might be a deputy, “he remarked.
The businesswoman also stated that “unfortunately I competed with an economic power that not just anyone can face. I deny it in its entirety. There a second lieutenant is mentioned, who suggests that there is a relationship, but we will clarify that if the report is true, they should call the second lieutenant to clarify and say where he got that information from ”.
With certainty, she argued that she says “no to drug trafficking”, since she is a mother of a family and wants her country to be safe, for her son to settle in this country and train as a professional.
He limited himself to delving into the subject, despite the fact that these events have affected some political figures and their families. “I will not really talk to you about a specific case because I am not an authority, I am not a National Police, I am not a DIJ, I am not a State intelligence, that these issues are resolved by whoever has to resolve them,” he said.
With the same intelligence and ability
In addition to the circulation of this alleged link with the criminal, Levy was distributed a short video in a bathing suit in which she promoted its sale, causing several netizens to comment on digital platforms: some against, but mostly they expressed compliments.
For those who tried to use the video to attack her, she expressed that she does not feel incapable and her personal life is personal. “I can put on a bathing suit, even dressed in a jacket and tie, I have the same intelligence and ability, I am a person who generates jobs on a daily basis, I manage each of my businesses and not now, but since I was 20 years old. I have been developing this capacity and, over time, being able to manage successfully ”, he stressed.
He asserted that they want to use the material as a dirty campaign to distort the woman and damage her reputation.
He revealed that said audiovisual material was distributed by the current Panameñista party prosecutor, who is currently running for the internal elections.
“It is no secret to anyone that I have two clothing stores, one for a bathing suit, another for my designs, and they used that to beat me. Imagine if the party’s prosecutor dares to do this and is aspiring to continue as prosecutor, who is going to defend us then tomorrow? ”He said.
He added that distorting a woman by how she looks has nothing to do with it, since there are very intelligent women who do not brush their heads, “we cannot allow women to continue to discriminate against us in this way and by doing gender violence ”.
Internal elections
The internal process towards the National Convention of the opposition Panameñista Party, where the new National Directorate of this group will be elected, has begun to widen the friction not only between party members, but has also spread to the magistrates of the Electoral Tribunal (TE ), specifically towards the magistrate Alfredo Juncá.
The clashes have been generated by an apparent decision of the electoral courts, with which the National Convention could be suspended, a decision that supposedly would be endorsed by the Electoral Court.
Faced with the apparent position of the TE, which according to sources from the entity would already be circulating within the institution, the Panamanian deputy and current secretary general of the party, Luis Ernesto Carles, posted on his Twitter account: “You took off your shirt from the party to get the position you occupy today; and now you put it back on to support the interests of those who in the past appointed you. With democracy you do not play, much less negotiate; he defends himself, ”Carles posted in an apparent allusion to magistrate Juncá.
Given this fact, Katleen Levy described her partner’s tweet as regrettable and disrespect him in this way. “He did not have to do it, it is entirely the fault of José Isabel Blandón, he is the one who sends the electoral organization date, he is the one who makes the electoral calendar, the Electoral Tribunal only approves it,” he explained.
He added that Blandón set a challenge period for the bulletin and set the application date on top, however, the challenge period for the bulletin was not met.
Regarding the issue of the drawing of the numbers for the voting that took place on January 6, “They said that Blandón has the full payroll and he has the 1 and Levy the 2, and it is established that it is a draw, the statutes say of the party. I did not want to contest because I want to show that I do not want to do things in bad faith and I accepted the 2nd, but they have been making many mistakes and blaming the Court seems out of order to me. Now that due process is being followed then they say it is wrong, there is democracy for some and for others we cannot have it. “
Levy ruled to be ready for the internal election, which will no longer be on January 23 but on February 20 by decision of the party’s board of directors.
“The board of directors has just approved a change in the election date and is justifying it by the cases of Covid-19 when we know that it is not because of that. It seems to me that it is prudent, but it is because there are two processes in the courts of the Electoral Tribunal that have to issue their ruling and I told them that it did not seem to me that we were looking for an excuse for Covid-19, “he said.
The former deputy said that this is making people who are aspiring spend more money, since there are many who are walking nationwide with their own resources, “not like them who are using the electoral subsidy to hold meetings, deliver credentials and politically proselytizing everyone’s money, not just Panamanians but everyone’s taxes. They have to wait for the ruling to happen ”.
Levy seeks to reach the presidency of this political group at the National Convention that will now be held on February 20, and has as a contender the current president of the party, José Isabel Blandón, who seeks to be re-elected in office.
