President Laurentino Cortizo, in his message to the Nation, this Friday, July 1, announced this Sunday, July 3, that he will travel to the United States, for his medical appointment in which he will receive a second opinion in Houston, Texas, about the myelodysplastic syndrome that he suffers from. .
The president said that he will return to the country next Saturday, July 9 of this year, absent from his functions as president for six days, however, he did not announce who would be in charge of the country during his absence.
Neither Vice President José Gabriel Carrizo nor any Cabinet Minister will be in charge of the country during the six days that President Cortizo is absent, since he assured that he would continue to lead the nation as he has been until now.
“I feel honored to lead the country in these exceptional circumstances and I am convinced, I have faith in God that I will reach the end of my term with you, the satisfaction of a duty fulfilled,” he said, assuring that “there is no adversity that a Panamanian cannot live through”.
In response to Cortizo’s statements, political analyst Pedro Sitton said that this action by the president will leave the country adrift and that Cortizo is living in a fantasy by not appointing someone to replace him while he undergoes the treatments he needs to cope with his illness.
