A new request was raised by the mayor of the district of Panama, José Luis Fábrega, last week before the Electoral Court (TE), in which he asks that his activists be present at the points where the signature collection is done.
Fábrega asked the Regional Directorate of Electoral Organization of Central Panama (Droepc), in charge of Nitza Delgado de Fernández, a meeting to provide him with information. For example, he wants to know the specific grounds activists collecting signatures will be able to use to revoke his mandate.
He also spoke of the possible participation of observers in favor of him, in the process of collecting signatures. He suggests that these people would be the watchdogs of the transparency of the process.
In the brief, presented on April 8 by the lawyer Juan Carlos Pérez, from the mayor’s legal team, he also asks about the forms of verification of the people who sign or adhere to the petition.
Regarding this, the lawyer and proponent of this initiative to revoke the mandate, Roberto Ruiz Díaz, explained that it is up to the TE to pronounce, “but if in fact they are asking for confidentiality regarding the adherence of the people and we, as the proponent, we have renounced having that information, I don’t think they have the right to have that information either; especially when it is an authority that has control and jurisdiction, and can in some way intimidate and pressure those who want to join, such as businessmen because the municipality has to collect taxes or can start processes”.
As for the official figures for the collection of signatures, he said that at 2:00 pm this Monday, the TE will share the bulletin with the official amount.
“The figures that we manage are those that the same people who are signing give us. Until last night we had about 11 thousand signatures and we remain above the floor that we need to maintain to obtain the signatures,” the lawyer remarked.
It should be remembered that at least 198,920 signatures must be collected in 120 days, for the TE to call a recall referendum. The process of collecting signatures began on April 20.
For this Tuesday, April 26, at Porras Park, at 4:00 pm, supporters of Mayor José Luis Fábrega are planning a rally against the recall, while on Wednesday, April 27, the Association of Municipalities of Panama will hold a march in defense of the municipal system from Plaza 5 de Mayo to the headquarters of the Electoral Tribunal, starting at 4:00 pm
