Opposition Lawmakers Complaining Over Procedural Technicalities During Electoral Reforms Debate

Representatives from the opposition political parties denounced this Friday morning that the session started to continue the second debate on the controversial Bill 508 of Electoral Reforms, is illegal because they did not make a call, as the law demands.

Jose Isabel Blandon, a Deputy from the Panameñista party, said when the session was suspended yesterday on Thursday, they should have issued a resolution to establish the day and time when the session was to be resumed.

On this subject also coincided the Deputy from the Molirena party Jorge Alberto Rosas, who in his speech in the Parliament on Friday also criticized the session, and said it violates the rules of procedure of the Assembly, by not following proper communication. Likewise the Deputies from the Democratic Revolutionary Party also rejected the session.

Bill 508 amends the Election Code, and is in the second debate. The session was suspended Thursday due to heavy riots in this State body. The project aims to eliminate the "sheet" voting, to allow for independent candidates, the number of applications by various parties, and to reduce the time allowed for campaigns. (Telemetro)

Editor's Comment: All of these guys - Blandon, Rosas, and the PRD Deputies, are in the minority, and they are now apparently reduced to bitching about technicalities in the rules of procedure for the National Assembly. Once again, they are trying to achieve in the press what they cannot achieve on the floor of the Assembly, because they don't have the votes. It seems to me like they are simply delaying the inevitable. They are not going to be able to fill the stands with paid, screaming actors. They are not going be able to scare or intimidate Sergio Galvez. They are not going to force the debate to go on forever. In short, they are running out of time and options. And, the public is also losing patience with their shenanigans, because for the most part, people understand and accept and support the changes the CD is trying to implement as being a good thing for democracy. So, the "opposition" guys lose on all counts.