Judith Pena | January 22, 2023
This Sunday, former President Martín Torrijos, shortly before the celebration of the Extraordinary National Directorate of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), issued a statement in which he assured that democracy has been weakened and in the collective is about to disappear since there is a disconnection between who direct the PRD and the members that integrate it.
“It is evident that democracy has been weakened, is kidnapped, restricted and in the PRD on the verge of disappearing,” he said when calling on the bases to unite, acknowledging errors and correcting them.
“It is time to dedicate ourselves to the task of reconciling the country, to build a society where there are no excluded, to resume the course we have lost. It is time to recover Panama and expand the future of Panamanians. Because that should be the primordial aspiration of true Torrijismo,” he stressed.
But what should have been a call for unity turned into a pitched battle, as Torrijos received an even stick from several of his supporters.
One of those who reacted was the deputy Raúl Pineda, who assured that the PRD is not disappearing, since they are governing with the majority in the Assembly, representatives and mayors, adding that the one who should connect with the party is Torrijos, assuring that 13 years ago they don’t know about him in the collective.
«With much respect, ex-president Martín, today the PRD has the largest number of representatives, deputies and mayors. Today the PRD governs for the benefit of all Panamanians. This is not the PRD that you abandoned 13 years ago. Where was he?” he said.
After being consulted by a candidate for the presidency in 2024, he said that he fully supports Vice President José Gabriel Carrizo.
The president of the PRD, Benisio Robinson, also responded to Torrijos’ note and assured that with more than 700,000 adherents it is illogical to say that the group is disappearing. He added that his statements are irresponsible.
For his part, the president of the National Assembly, Crispiano Adames, welcomed him to the political arena “after so many years of not listening to him, it is important that we all sit down and maintain a unity picture, but facing the people , with his hand in the people, not only theoretical pronouncements,” he said when inviting him to invite him to walk the streets, sidewalks and all places in the country.
National Directory
After the criticism that Torrijos’ letter received, the Extraordinary National Directory was held with the participation of the 10 members of the National Executive Committee.
Also present were 92% of the accredited national directors, where the adjustments to the party’s statutes in accordance with the new electoral law were unanimously approved.
