Sectors of Panamanian society are appealing to President Ricardo Martinelli, to stop the "excessive hunger for power" that is plunging the country into what could be the "worst institutional-political crisis in recent decades." The concern of the Catholic Church was published in the weekly newspaper "Catholic Panorama", which states that given the situation that has arisen over the case of the Attorney General's Office, "the interests and the social peace of the nation take priority over the individual." The Church believes that "to submit the country to the shock, the disappointment, and the institutional dispute, is a dangerous act, the consequences of which will eventually result in a heavy price." Politician Miguel Antonio Bernal warns that we face an executive that does not stop its excessive accumulation of power, which can be "dangerous" for the country. Bernal's view is shared by PRD deputy Leandro Avila who argues that many of the Executive's actions could lead us to a "great crisis". Since July the administration of Ricardo Martinelli has planned its actions to achieve a greater concentration of power than what is provided by the Constitution (critics allege.) The concern of the Church is added to that of other groups and organizations from the civil society. Some of them openly supported Martinelli as a candidate in the last election, but now they are orchestrating the the revival of the National Civil Crusade that opposed the military dictatorship in the 1980's. Constitutionally, the executive has the power to develop and implement the General State Budget. The Executive Branch can decide how much money is assigned to each of the other branches of government and the manner in which that money is spent, which in effect gives it total control, said Bernal. Milton Henriquez, chairman of the Popular Party, believes the National Assembly should also change it's "complacent" conduct. Martinelli's actions to dominate all structures of the state were clear from the beginning. His government holds a majority in the National Assembly and they ratified his appointment of Gioconda Torres de Bianchini as the new Comptroller General of the Republic, a woman who previously worked as the chief auditor for Martinelli's companies. And this occurred despite his campaign promises that he would select an independent for this post. The National Assembly also ratified two of Martinelli's appointments to the Supreme Court, José Almengor and Alejandro Moncada, both of whom are close to the President. Add the separation of Ana Matilde Gomez from her position as the Attorney General of the Republic and the surprise resignation of Boris Barrios from his politically important position as th Electoral Prosecutor, and the fear that the magistrates of the Electoral Tribunal may be forced from their positions through legal actions pending against them. The Government also aims to control the media. After criticizing the programming and the newscasts on the major television stations, National Assembly Deputy from Ricardo Martinelli's Cambio Democratico political party Dalia Bernal, first proposed the reactivation of the Censorship Board and later the "self-regulation" of the newspapers and radio. (Source: Panama America)
Editor's Comment: Yup, there's no doubt about it. Ricardo Martinelli has taken control of just about every important element of political power in Panama. Any observer can see what's happening and it's making some people very, very nervous. Now ask yourself - how and why has Martinelli been able to gather up so much political power? I would submit that the power now being wielded by Martinelli is a direct reflection of the clear mandate the people of Panama handed to him in the May 2009 election. Once must always remain vigilant upon detecting his particular set of circumstances, however the proof will be to see exactly how his accumulation of state power is used. If Martinelli continues his campaign to flush out and prosecute corrupt PRD politicians - and of course it will be the prosecutors of the Public Ministry and the judges of the Judiciary who actually do most of the heavy lifting in that respect - then I'm all for it. Gather the evidence, hold a fair and transparent trial, respect the constitutional rights of all involved, and obtain true and valid convictions against those who have been RAPING THIS COUNTRY FOR DECADES! There are some people who are afraid of the power being gathered by Ricardo Martinelli for a reason - mostly because they know what they have done and they are afraid that they will now, finally, be held accountable for their criminal actions, in a country where they have traditionally been able to get away with murder, literally. If that's the meaning of "Democratic Change" then it's been a long time coming. Maybe, just maybe, we might be witnessing a healthy evolution of the democratic process in action. And again, the proof is in the pudding. I've been disappointed by Panamanian politicians before. I had high hopes for Martin Torrijos and look how that turned out. Let's hope Ricardo Martinelli is actually, really, truly different from the people who have preceded him in office.
The PRD continues to rain criticism on Ricardo Martinelli. Yesterday, during the meeting of the "Torrijos People Power" movement in Santiago de Veraguas, the Secretary General of the Partido Revolucionario Democrático (PRD), Mitchel Doens, railed against the President and said "Benito Mussolini is like a tit-sucking baby compared to the pigeon dictator" who wants to take control of all state agencies, particularly the Judiciary, the Electoral Tribunal, the Comptroller's Office, and the office of the Attorney General. In a rambling 35 minute speech, Doens accused Martinelli of advocating political traitor-ship among the 326 area representatives, offering them between $100,000 to $200,000 dollars to register in the Cambio Democratico political party,as part of this malevolent action to destroy the PRD. Doens said only 15 changed parties, but even then six have returned to the PRD and have been welcomed with open arms. He warned that a process will be opened against those who continue to support the CD to kick them out of the party, as established by the statutes of the collective. Doens also repudiated the suspension of the Decentralization Act by the executive, who with one stroke and with the help of the Deputies of the National Assembly cut off aid to members of the People representing the districts in the country.
By DON WINNER for 
By Claude Cartaginese for newsrealblog.com - Leftists in Latin America are in trouble. Costa Rica, Brazil, and Panama, for example, are all countries where the left has been defeated in recent elections or is in serious trouble. In Venezuela, Hugo Chávez’s approval ratings are down to an all-time low of 27%, and sinking almost as fast as Barack Obama’s. To add insult to injury, Latin Americans are no longer buying the leftist rhetoric. In a survey last month, a staggering 59 percent of Latin Americans surveyed agreed that a market economy is best for the future of the region. And now, in the latest rejection of socialism, billionaire Sebastian Pinera has won Chile’s election, becoming the nation’s first democratically elected right-wing president in 52 years. In Chile, Pinera’s promises to return to free-market principles have resonated with the people. After years of recession and failed socialist policies, Pinera, a Harvard-trained economist, has made it his goal to expand Chile’s economic growth 6 percent a year. Chile, which has the highest standard of living in Latin America, is one of the world’s largest producers of copper. After the socialist nationalization of the copper industry by a succession of leftist governments, billions of dollars in copper revenue were squandered in failed social programs. This win should really rattle Chile’s socialist neighbors. Land-locked Bolivia, ruled by socialist and Chávez-wannabe Evo Morales, has been pressuring Chile to provide it with access to the sea for years. Chávez himself may soon feel the coming tide. Pinera will be no Chávez clone; he will be more like Colombia’s conservative President Alvaro Uribe, an outspoken critic of socialism and Chávez, and a friend of the United States.
By JULIETA ROMERO GARCIA DE PAREDES for La Estrella - After La Estrella denounced that the brother of Panama's Attorney General, César Augusto Gómez Ruiloba, is currently accredited as Panama's consul in Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis and the Grenadines, earning a monthly salary of approximately $8,000 dollars between pay and allowances, Ana Matilde Gomez Ruiloba denied any type of influence peddling on Telemetro Reporta. According to the senior government law officer, she has never discussed this issue with either former president Martin Torrijos or current president Ricardo Martinelli, adding that "both have been very respectful in that neither of them have approached me." She said she would have preferred that this situation had not occurred, but that her brother worked on for the Panama Canal Authority for more than 25 years and he was appointed by President Martin Torrijos as the Consul General in Barbados in November 2008, a position which was later ratified by Ricardo Martinelli in July of 2009. According to Telemetro, Ana Matilde Gomez said that if she detects that her brother is not doing his job according to the law "then he should get fired" but that if he is working "then let him work." Gomez also said she once advised her brother on the proper procedures that should be followed in order to work in a transparent manner and to avoid any public questioning.
By ISIDRO RODRIGUEZ and NEIRO CARRASCO for La Estrella - PANAMA. Just as President Ricardo Martinelli places his chips on the Supreme Court and the Electoral Tribunal, changes and rotations among his Executive Cabinet are expected soon. In fact, upon completing his first 100 days in office, Martinelli himself made it clear he would be making changes to his team, but he did not specify when. The truth is that within the corridors of the Palace of the Herons several names have been mentioned that could play a part in the movements and changes in the Executive. New Year - New Charges: The new year will not only see the placement of two new judges on the Supreme Court, the election of a new President of the Supreme Court, and a new Magistrate on the Electoral Tribunal, but the list will also include structural changes and the creation of new State agencies. On the agenda is the creation of the Ministry of Road Infrastructure and Transport (Mivite), which would result from the merger of the current Ministry of Public Works (MOP) with the Land Transit and Transportation Authority (ATTT). Next would be the creation of two new Ministries - the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Security - which would be created to reduce the
dependency functions in the Ministry of Government and Justice. Panama's Minister of the Presidency, Jimmy Papadimitriu, said in an interview with La Estrella it is necessary to alleviate the burden of of the Ministry of Government and Justice, and they are considering the creation of a Ministry of Security. (more) 
By ARTURO CARLOS CASTILLO for La Estrella - Panama City Mayor Bosco Vallarino said on RPC Radio he would seek the assistance of a lawyer because he is absolutely sure there is a negative campaign being waged against him, because every time he tries to do something his detractors wrongly interpret his actions. The Mayor said it "can't be" that every time he utters an opinion or an idea, everything said about him is bad and that a day doesn't go by that he's not in the newspapers. "I think there is a hidden agenda working against me. I just want to work. I want people to enjoy the Christmas project, because Christmas is for the people," he said. With regards to the direct contracts handed out for the completion of the Christmas villages, Vallarino reiterated it was done this way due to time constraints because a formal bidding process would have taken too much time. (Editor's Comment: Ya' think? Of course there's an orchestrated negative campaign against Bosco Vallarino. The PRD literally hates his friggin' guts, and they will go to any lengths to trip him up. I almost feel bad for Bosco because he inherited a Mayor's office filled with PRD staff that had been working for Juan Carlos Navarro for the past ten years, as well as a Municipal City Council dominated by the PRD. There are literally dozens if not hundreds of people out there, working from the inside of the municipality, looking for each and every opportunity to toss banana peels under his feet.)
By Carlos Estrada Aguilar for La Critica - Panama's Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Varela visited Honduras for the purpose of renewing Panama's support for the upcoming elections that will be held on 29 November 2009. Varela began his visit and met with the major presidential candidates in the upcoming elections, Elvin Santos of the Partido Liberal and Porfirio Lobo of the Partido Nacional. The presidential candidate of the opposition Partido Nacional, Porfirio Lobo, leads by 16 points over the candidate from the ruling Partido Liberal, Elvin Santos, for the elections on 29 November in Honduras, according to a survey by the firm CID-Gallup, noting that the crisis caused by political coup against Manuel Zelaya has damaged his party and candidacy of Santos, and has benefited the opposition. Varela also met with a delegation of Magistrates of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal of Honduras, headed by José Saúl Escobar. During the meeting, the Varela reiterated the support of the Government of Panama to measures that will help to hold the election in Honduras in a democratic manner, under the best conditions possible, in a transparent manner, with proper organization and a representative level of citizen participation.
By Enrique A. Morgan Cox for the Panama America - In harsh terms Panama's president Ricardo Martinelli told Panama City Mayor Bosco Vallarino to stop wasting time and to "collect the garbage, that's what he has to do." He had the same advice for the Mayor of San Miguelito, Hector Valdes Carrasquilla. Martinelli's statements came during a city clean up drive organized by the Ministry of Public Works in the area of Porqueriza in Rio Abajo, where he saw first hand the accumulation of garbage in various parts of that community. The president of the nation lashed out at both mayors and called upon them to "stop politicking and get to work."
By LEONARDO FLORES for La Prensa - Panama City Mayor Bosco Vallarino will be left to his own devices to deal with the crisis in the Municipality of Panama that threatens to affect the ruling alliance. Yesterday, the Vice President of Panama and President of the Panameñista political party, Juan Carlos Varela, kept his distance from those who vigorously supported his choice to head the capital's municipality. "The mayor is an adult. He is master of his actions and we will see how the mayor continues forward with Mrs. [Roxana] Mendez. They should see how they can seek to work together to fulfill the mandate given to them by the people," was Varela's comment after the resignation of Mendez from her posit as an adviser in City Hall. Varela added that both the mayor and the Deputy Mayor should be dedicated to solving the problems of improving the quality of life for residents of the capital, among which he mentioned the collection of garbage. Mendez met yesterday with Vallarino to formalize her decision to leave the post she occupied as an adviser. At that meeting, the mayor - who cancelled his public events scheduled for yesterday - said the door remains open for Mendez. Sources inside of the presidential palace reported that Mendez communicated with the President, Ricardo Martinelli - who is also chairman of Democratic Change party - to announce her decision. Despite the crisis caused by differences of opinion on several decisions made by Vallarino, he continues to push forward his controversial projects. (Editor's Comment - I feel so much better now that I've been reminded by Panama's Vice President that the Mayor of Panama City is an adult. "...WTF, over?")
Panama America - Next Monday the National Government will file a suit before the Public Ministry against the Secretary General of the Partido Revolucionario Democratico (PRD), Mitchell Doens and anyone else who turns out to be responsible, after the political leader failed to respond to the challenge laid down for him to present the evidence he supposedly holds to backup the public statements he made last weekend. Alfredo Prieto, the Secretary of State Communications, said that faced with the apparent failure of Doens to backup his claims with evidence, the federal government filed a complaint for libel. Last Sunday Panama's President Ricardo Martinelli gave Doens a 24 hour deadline to provide the supposed evidence to prosecutors of the Public Ministry. Last Sunday Doens said he supposedly holds DEA documents alleging illegal conduct on the part of unnamed members of the current government. The PRD, through their new Secretary General, said Prieto, is again trying to resist the changes the new administration is bringing to bear, while they cling to the old petty partisan political practices which directly cause the serious problems afflicting the people of Panama that the administration of Ricardo Martinelli is committed to solve. According to Prieto, it is very suspicious that the PRD through their Secretary General, has assumed an uncompromising defense of the businessmen who have amassed fortunes for years, and who now refuse to show solidarity with the neediest members of the population by fulfilling their responsibility to pay taxes in the same way as the rest of the citizenry. (See Comments) 
By DON WINNER for 
By Leonardo Flores for La Prensa - Gilberto Succari, who is a Deputy in the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) and a politician from the Partido Revolucionario Democratico (PRD) in Panama, was elected on Thursday as the new Vice President of that regional body. Sandra Noriega, the daughter of former dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega, was also elected as a Secretary by Panama. Despite the intention of the government of Panama, President Ricardo Martinelli, and recent statements by Panama's Vice President and Foreign Minister, Juan Carlos Varela, to withdraw Panama from the PARLACEN, the two PRD Deputies were sworn into their new positions. They will formally take possession of their positions on 28 October 2009.
By Denise Lara and Kathyria Caicedo for Telemetro Reporta - With a majority of 43 votes, Gioconda de Bianchini was elected Tuesday night as the new Comptroller General of the Republic, during a regular session of the National Assembly. The new Deputy Comptroller is Luis Felipe Icaza, candidates nominated by the government deputies from the Cambio Democratico, Panamenista, Patriotic Union and Molirena political parties. Their tenure will begin in January of next year. Bianchini, who worked for 15 years in the importing company Ricamar, owned by President Ricardo Martinelli, beat the nominee from the PRD, Abraham Martinez, who got only 19 votes. Bianchini in her speech stressed that the Comptroller General of the Republic will continue to work with absolute impartiality and adherence to standards. "We will highlight legality, probity, transparency, justice, ethics, independence, equality, accountability, confidentiality and clarity," said the new official. She is the first woman to ever serve as the Comptroller in the 79 year history of the institution, which for her summons "pride," in her words.
La Critica - It's not that the crisis in the PRD is over, but at least its members can breathe a sigh of relief that the situation did not get worse ... for now. The last minute withdrawal of Balbina Herrera from the ballot facilitated the victory of PRD veteran Francisco Sánchez Cárdenas as the new President of the National Executive Committee (CEN), beating AMPYME director Giselle de Calcagno 246 votes to 38. The position of General Secretary of the party, the top post of the CEN, was won by Mitchell Doens, another member of the "old corps" of the PRD. The only person who was on the previous CEN who was able to repeat was Pedro Miguel Gonzalez, who is now the First Under Secretary of the party. The first thing the new leadership of the PRD did was to "declare war" with the government of Ricardo Martinelli. (Editor's Comment - Manuel Antonio Noriega declared war on the United States, just before the Just Cause invasion. On that day he was backed by guys like Cardenas, Doens, and Gonzalez, so the results of this election don't really represent any kind of a change or an emergence of new faces for the PRD.)
Panama America - In the last political campaign Giselle Calcagno, challenged the approach dictated by the leadership of the PRD and decided to support the candidacy of Ricardo Martinelli. The temperature continues to increase as the elections to choose the transitional members of the National Executive Committee (CEN) of the Partido Revolucionario Democratico (PRD) draw closer, a few hours ago PRD member Gisell de Calcagno denounced the presumed intentions of PRD "thugs" to commit electoral fraud. "Why are these PRD thugs so afraid of me," asked Calcagno, who clarified that no more than 10 people make up this gang, and that the rest of the PRD are honest. "The fear they have is that in six months decency will be returned to the PRD," said Calcagno. According to Calcagno, who is running as a candidate for the position as the President of the transitional CEN, the "gang" continues with the same bad practices of fraud, twisting arms, and dirty campaigning.
By Kathyria Caicedo for Telemetro - According to the period established by the National Assembly, the window to submit nominations for the position of Comptroller General expires today, 15 October and there is only one candidate. Gioconda Elcira Torres de Bianchini, who has worked most recently as the internal auditor for the company Importada Ricamar, S.A., owned by President Ricardo Martinelli, could be ratified without opposition by the National Assembly. (Editor's Comment: The only decision left would be to full the position of Deputy or Sub Comptroller, and that would fall to the Panameñista political party as a result of the alliance agreement between them and the Cambio Democratico party. But at this point it's pretty much a done deal - Gioconda Elcira Torres de Bianchini will be the new Comptroller General of the Republic. Her job is to basically oversee government spending to make sure none of the money gets stolen.)
By JUAN LUIS BATISTA for La Prensa - After 100 days in office, the President of the Republic, Ricardo Martinelli, enjoys a record popularity rating of 85.9%, surpassing the levels achieved by his predecessors Martín Torrijos, Mireya Moscoso and Ernesto Pérez Balladares. This was revealed through a poll commissioned by La Prensa and the firm Unimer and applied between 6 to 9 October 2009, to 1,200 Panamanians. The survey, with a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points, is published today in the supplement "Pulse of the Nation" by La Prensa. Earlier polls conducted by the company Dichter & Neira to measure the popularity of other presidents in their first three months in office resulted in 81.3% for Ernesto Perez Balladares while both Mireya Moscoso and Martin Torrijos were at 70%.
By Elizabeth Garrido A. for La Prensa - Today the entire National Executive Committee (CEN) of the Partido Revolucionario Democratico (PRD) resigned, one day after Juan Carlos Navarro did the same. Their resignations will be effective from 18 October 2009, the date on which there will be a special national meeting of the PRD. Through a press release the members of the CEN jointly presented their formal renunciations of their respective offices to which they were elected on 8 March 2008. The document bears the signatures of Balbina Herrera, president; Benjamín Colamarco, second vice president; Martín Torrijos, General Secretary of the Party; Héctor Alemán, second sub secretary; Pedro Miguel González, third sub secretary, and Belgis Castro, fourth sub secretary. Additionally, Rep. Elias Castillo also reported today through a letter his decision to make his position of first vice president of the CEN available as well. Division - Juan Carlos Navarro announced his resignation from the CEN at 6:00 pm yesterday at a news conference. After taking his decision public, a statement from the PRD reported that the former mayor betrayed an agreement to resign collectively. However this morning on the news program Telemetro Reporta, Navarro disqualified the above statement as "apocryphal." He also denied that during the past weekend that there have been any meetings of the CEN to discuss the joint resignation of its members. In this regard, the president of the group, Balbina Herrera, dismissed the importance of Navarro's action, saying the PRD is a "unified" party to present a coherent opposition. "The internal problems of the party will be resolved internally, the rest we will see," she said. (See Comments) 
TVN Noticias - The disastrous results of the 3 May 2009 national elections was one of the things motivating the PRD's Juan Carlos Navarro to resign yesterday afternoon from his position as the First Under Secretary of the PRD's National Executive Committee (CEN). Navarro said resigning from the CEN was a hard decision to make and it came as a result of consultations and deep reflection on the national situation and the role of the PRD. Navarro said that in order to achieve the goals and objectives of the party there is an urgent need to renew the current leadership of the group and that to "do it with the required speed the current members of the CEN should retire." "I have expressed this conviction since 4 May (the day after the election) and I have struggled for months from within (the party) to achieve this goal," said Navarro, who said he has been consistent with his calls for a need of renewal. Juan Carlos Navarro called upon the other members of the CEN to resign as well - so that "for once and for all the members of the CEN should take a decision to clean away the part of this uncertainty that would allow (others) to mobilize and unify the PRD." While Navarro has resigned, said he will continue to make his best effort "to fulfill the ideals of Torrijos and decisively defeat their adversaries."
TVN Noticias - The first assistant secretary of the PRD, Juan Carlos Navarro, insisted on the TVN morning news program today that ideally what should occur on 11 October when the CEN meets, is party leaders should convene an extraordinary congress to call for new elections of the National Executive Committee (CEN). The current members of the CEN should resign or "make their positions available" as an example to show how there is a need to renew the party, said Navarro, who called for a restructuring from the grassroots level. Navarro said what is needed is a completely renovated PRD in order to form a true opposition, which the country needs, said Navarro while criticizing the current government. Navarro said his "criticisms are always moderate" when asked to explain his position regarding the alleged errors committed by government officials. He said "in 80 days they have given $80 million dollars in direct contracts, and now they want to spend $25 million dollars on an airplane, when they said they would do just the opposite during the campaign."
La Estrella - The Director of Information and Public Relations of the Electoral Tribunal, Humberto Castillo, reported that they have identified 22 people who, during the general election of 2009, commited the electoral crime of voting more than once. The files have been forwarded to the Electoral Prosecutor to initiate investigations, to eventually call these people to trial. La Estrella tried to learn more about these cases, however the Electoral Prosecutor said the General Secretary is just starting to work on a report that will be released in the future with the details of those who are involved.
By Ginela C. Escala M. and Grisel Bethancourt for La Critica - The thirteen members of the Municipal Council of Panama City who belong to the Partido Revolucionario Democratico (PRD) refuse to give a truce, and they are directing their verbal artillery against Panama City Mayor Bosco Vallarino, who is accused of violating a municipal law and of having committed administrative irregularities. Vallarino's presence during yesterday's session in the City Council rankled the council members, who accuse him of an "alleged embezzlement" regarding the issuance of a check for $4,000 that was supposed to pay a travel allowance for his wife, Annabel of Vallario, to visit Taiwan. Vallarino insisted he made an administrative "error" administrative on the writing of the check, although he directly accused a person with ties to the PRD who is still working in the current staff of the mayor's administration for not warning him this disbursement was improper. Vallarino said he would initiate an internal investigation and he would not hesitate to fire any officials who are found to have participated in this "conspiracy." He went on to say that the renting of a convertible car for his use is false, and that this issue was raised for the Christmas parade, but he refused because he did not want to look like a Carnival queen throwing kissing on the Coastal Strip. With regards to his absence from the country for more than five days, Vallarino said he complied with his duty of having informed the Governor of Panama of his mission abroad. Meanwhile, Javier Ortega, the representative from Rio Abajo, said the PRD City Council members are not hurting Vallarino, but rather that he does not want us to help him so that he doesn't make more mistakes in the future. Bosco's Case Will Go To The Finance Committee: Tomorrow in a full meeting of the Municipal Council's Finance Committee, they will meet to analyze the actions of Bosco Vallarino to determine if he violated any laws or municipal regulations and they will carry out an investigation regarding the issuance of the check to his wife. Prosecutor To Investigate: Meanwhile, the Second Anti-Corruption Prosecutor initiated investigations of the check that was issued in favor of the Mayor's wife which was not countersigned by the Comptroller. (See Comments) 
By Kemy Loo Pinzón for La Prensa - Panama City Mayor Bosco Vallarino arrived at the regular meeting of the City Council this morning, and upon arrival he simply told the press "it was an administrative error." Vallarino was referring to the scandal over the check written to his wife that was later rejected by the Comptroller. In this sense, the mayor reiterated his advisers were misinformed, however, he said he takes full responsibility for this case. Prior to Vallarino's arrival, officials from the Municipal Council distributed among those present a note stating that "economic support" is not considered to be the same as "per diem." Therefore, said the memo, it can not be included in the line of municipal budget expenditures. Before starting the regular meeting today, the mayor met behind closed doors with the council. There were no reports on the subject matter. At the conclusion of the closed door meeting he declined to comment, and prepared to start the Council meeting at 11:35 am.
TVN Noticias - PRD lawmaker Leandro Ávila said on the TVN morning news that Panama's National Assembly is not only "kneeling before the executive" but that the ruling block has not made a balance of powers. He said they have surrendered completely to the whims of the Executive and everything the president asks for is handed to him without question, and while Avila held out as an example the appointment of the Assembly representative to the board of the Panama Canal Authority, that came from the presidency of the Republic. They are completely on their knees and they surrender to the concerns of the president, Ricardo Martinelli, because there is no separation of powers, said the deputy who pleaded for financial independence of the institution. As long as there is no financial independence, the National Assembly will remain subjected to the executive, he said. On another subject the PRD lawmaker warned that crime will not be tackled with wiretaps, and on the contrary he feels this law will invade the privacy of Panamanians. When questioned about why the different representatives from the civil society did not participate in the debates on the draft of the proposed law, Avila said the document was discussed at the speed of light without allowing a wide participation of citizens. The government submits to the National Assembly those bills which it cares about and they say these should be discussed and passed quickly, said Avila who also said his party wants to let the President know that the documents sent by his office cannot be approved as they were originally written. (See Comments) 
