PRD Lawmaker Pineda Reacts To Criticism About "Fifth Chamber" Vote

The support given by the National Assembly Deputy from the PRD political party Raúl Pineda to the bill creating the "Fifth Chamber" of the Supreme Court (Constitutional Guarantees), whose vote was the key to the approval of the bill in committee in the "first reading," has intensified internal frictions within the PRD party. Pineda responded to criticism made against him by Pedro Miguel Gonzalez, who accused him of lobbying for the Cambio Democratico, despising his words and pointing to each of the corruption cases involving Pedro Miguel Gonzalez. "Pedro Miguel Gonzalez, who had a push button in the National Assembly which shamed the PRD Deputies? Pedro Miguel, who charged (got paid) in the municipality with Bosco? Who transferred state lands to himself, and who is a millionaire thanks to corruption? He who got paid for roads that were never built?" he asked. According to Pineda his support for the creation of the Fifth Chamber was not due to a political agreement, because his support for the measure dates back to when it was presented during the PRD administration of Ernesto Perez Balladares, and he does not intend to change his view. What's more, he also reminded Pedro Miguel Gonzalez that he was also in favor of the measure, "he himself criticized the elimination of the Fifth Chamber when he was a Deputy, and I am going to pull all of the records when he said it was disgrace (to eliminate it), and when he said the Fifth Chamber and to be revived." (Telemetro)

Editor's Comment: Sooner or later they will all become Borg. The political power of the Cambio Democratico has grown up in the middle between the two traditional political power centers in Panama, the PRD on the left and the Panameñistas on the right. In this case, the Government Committee of the National Assembly passed this bill in committee with the votes of all of the members of the Cambio Democratico political party, and this one vote from PRD Deputy Raúl Pineda. The Panameñista members of the committee were not even in the room. There was a committee meeting scheduled which they apparently decided to blow off - that'll teach 'em, eh? So they crammed this thing through committee and now it will go to the full body of the National Assembly, where it will also have the votes to pass. When it does, Ricardo Martinelli will appoint three more warm bodies to the Supreme Court. Right now (today) he has already appointed four out of the nine sitting justices on the bench. Add three more for the addition of the new "Fifth Chamber" of the court, and that will raise the numbers to Martinelli 7 appointees - all others 5 - and that will cement his control of the court.

Electoral Implications: There is a special court in Panama that oversees all issues having to do with elections, called the "Electoral Tribunal." This body is different in that there are three sitting judges, and each of the three branches of the government are responsible for appointing and filling one of the three slots. This year the term of current Electoral Tribunal Gerardo Solís expires. His position is filled by the Supreme Court, and they will have to name a replacement sometime towards the end of this year, like September. So, by then Martinelli will have a 7-5 majority on the Supreme Court, so they will pick someone to the CD's liking. With a straight majority on the bench they can dominate any particular decision, regardless of the evidence. And then Martinelli will still get one more Supreme Court pick before the end of his term, bringing his majority to 8-4. This is important because it will give him a 2/3's majority, which is required to make a decision against someone like a sitting National Assembly Deputy or his own Vice President Juan Carlos Varela. This simple fact (of the 2/3's majority) has the Panameñistas literally shitting themselves. They know - flat out - that Martinelli has the goods on them. He knows where the bodies are buried. And if he wants to (helped by controlling the court) he could put them all away on corruption charges. Some are convinced Martinelli intends to change the rules to allow him to run again in 2014, despite his repeated assurances that he has no plans to run, but he still makes people nervous. And if the CD wins in 2014? Then their majority on the court will improve to 12-0, and his control of the National Assembly will grow. They can decide to change Varela's name to "Susie Purple Panties" and there won't be a damn thing he can do about it...