2014 Panamanian general election

General elections were held in Panama on 4 May 2014.[1] Due to constitutional term limits, Incumbent President Ricardo Martinelli was ineligible for a second consecutive term. Incumbent Vice President Juan Carlos Varela of the Partido Panameñista was declared the victor with 39% of the votes.[2]

2014 Panamanian general election
4 May 2014 (2014-05-04)
Presidential election
 
Nominee Juan Carlos Varela José Domingo Arias Juan Carlos Navarro
Party Panameñista CD PRD
Running mate Isabel Saint Malo Marta Linares de Martinelli Gerardo Solís
Popular vote 724,762 581,828 521,842
Percentage 39.09% 31.38% 28.14%
Results by province
President before election

Ricardo Martinelli
CD

 Elected President

Juan Carlos Varela
Panameñista

Politics of Panama
Constitution
Executive
Legislature
Administrative divisions
Elections
Foreign relations

Electoral system

Of the 71 members of the National Assembly, 26 were elected in single-member constituencies and 45 by proportional representation in multi-member constituencies. Each district with more than 40,000 inhabitants forms a constituency. Constituencies elect one MP for every 30,000 residents and an additional representative for every fraction over 10,000.[3]

In single-member constituencies MPs are elected using the first-past-the-post system. In multi-member constituencies MPs are elected using party list proportional representation according to a double quotient; the first allocation of seats uses a simple quotient, further seats are allotted using the quotient divided by two, with any remaining seats are awarded to the parties with the greatest remainder.[3]

Presidential candidates

Seven candidates contested the election:[4]

Opinion polls
Poll source Date José Domingo Arias
(CD)		 Juan Carlos Navarro
(PRD)		 Juan Carlos Varela
(Panameñista)
Dichter & Neira[5] March 2014 39% 32% 26%
Ipsos[5] March 2014 33% 31% 26%
Dichter & Neira[6] 23 April 2014 35% 30% 32%
Ipsos[7] 23 April 2014 33.9% 34.2% 29.1%

Results

President
CandidateParty or allianceVotes%
Juan Carlos VarelaThe People FirstPanameñista Party563,58430.39
People's Party161,1788.69
Total724,76239.09
José Domingo AriasUnited for ChangeDemocratic Change483,30926.07
Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement98,5195.31
Total581,82831.38
Juan Carlos NavarroDemocratic Revolutionary Party521,84228.14
Genaro LópezBroad Front for Democracy11,1270.60
Juan JovanéIndependent10,8050.58
Esteban RodríguezIndependent2,2400.12
Gerardo BarrosoIndependent1,5980.09
Total1,854,202100.00
Valid votes1,854,20298.30
Invalid/blank votes32,1061.70
Total votes1,886,308100.00
Registered voters/turnout2,457,40176.76
Source: Election Tribunal, Electoral Tribunal

National Assembly
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Democratic Change573,60333.7230+16
Democratic Revolutionary Party535,74731.4925–1
Panameñista Party343,88020.2212–10
Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement121,8157.1620
People's Party56,6293.3310
Broad Front for Democracy17,2241.010New
Independents52,1843.071–1
Total1,701,082100.00710
Valid votes1,701,08292.06
Invalid/blank votes146,7187.94
Total votes1,847,800100.00
Registered voters/turnout2,457,40175.19
Source: Election Tribunal

Although Democratic Change won 30 seats and MOLIRENA two, rival candidates in 10 of the circuits won by CD and 1 of those won by MOLIRENA said there were irregularities throughout the elections that favored the winning parties. As such, the Electoral Tribunal of Panama annulled the results in those circuits and new special elections were to be held every Sunday from 16 November 2014 to determine which candidate would win those 11 seats.

Special election results
Election DateCircuitCandidateParty
16 November 20147-1Carlos "Tito" AfúDemocratic Change (CD)
23 November 20142-4Noriel SalernoDemocratic Change (CD)
30 November 20147-2Mariela VegaDemocratic Change (CD)
14 December 20144-1Miguel FanovichNationalist Republican Liberal Movement (MOLIRENA)
14 December 20144-1Florentino ÁbregoPanameñista Party

References
  1. Panama IFES
  2. "Vice President Juan Carlos Varela wins Panama's presidential race, topping field of 7". U.S. News. 4 May 2014.
  3. Electoral system IPU
  4. Panama IFES
  5. Zissis, Carin (28 March 2014). "Poll Update: Panama's Ruling-Party Candidate ahead in Possible Close Race". Americas Society / Council of the Americas.
  6. "Intención de Voto Presidencial - Encuesta TVN y Dichter & Neira". TVN Noticias Panamá. 23 April 2014. Archived from the original on 3 May 2014.
  7. "Panamá Opina - Telemetro Reporta". Telemetro Reporta. 23 April 2014.
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