In Latin America it is a trend for elites to manipulate electoral processes through skillful “electoral courts.” These elites, along with so-called non-governmental organizations, none of which hold government positions or are elected by popular will, continue to influence elections, distort narratives and undermine the democracy country by country.
The political persecution of former President Martinelli in Panama It is shameful and criminal, but fortunately, the Panamanian people are much more than all the elites, NGOs and corrupt media.
Last Sunday, despite a great negative, distorted and illegal campaign, José Raúl Mulino, of the Realizing Goals (RM) party, of former President Martinelli, was popularly and democratically elected president of Panama. As many know, president-elect Mulino was the candidate for vice president along with former president Ricardo Martinelli who was seeking the presidency and was leading all the polls in the country.
Fearing their personal interests, the elites, the government, and the corrupt media did everything possible to stop this victory. They began with a barrage of illegal lawsuits against former President Martinelli to get the electoral court to disqualify him even though he was the main presidential candidate with the highest voting intention, with almost 50% according to several surveys.
With a corrupt judicial system dependent on the executive, they managed to eliminate Martinelli’s candidacy, leaving Mulino as a presidential candidate. Immediately, elites and even foreign governments directed all their tireless efforts to disqualify candidate Mulino.
Until last Friday, two days before the election, his candidacy was in question. Fortunately, the pressure of the people and the little that remains of honesty in the country’s supreme court managed to maintain his candidacy for the presidency. The protests against the illegality of mining contracts promoted by the current government demonstrated the power of the people to convene. This time, they did it through the ballot box.
Yesterday the Panamanian people made their voices heard and today Mulino is the elected president. Among his first words as president-elect, Mulino said that he will not seek revenge, he announced that the political persecutions have ended and mainly, he thanked Ricardo Martinelli for the trust in having named him vice president, never imagining what destiny would give him.
It is comforting to see that, in Panama, at least, this wave of electoral manipulation that deprives citizens of their most basic right has been stopped. Even more surprising has been throughout the campaign in Panama that no international media, nor any foreign government, expressed concern about illegal interference in the elections by various actors in Panama trying to manipulate the electoral result.
When the dictator Nicolás Maduro disqualified María Corina Machado as a candidate in Venezuela, the United States, the European Union, the OAS and many other countries spoke correctly. In the case of Panama, where former President Martinelli was given an illegal sentence for a non-existent crime, simply to disqualify him as a candidate, the silence of the international community was deafening. Simply embarrassing. Where were the so-called “defenders” of democracy?
It is a trend in Latin America that when a popular candidate is not loved or feared by the elites, he is disqualified from the electoral process. It is the only way in many countries to stop candidates who are not liked by the power group. They are simply removed from the race and thus they do not have to beat them at the polls or with the vote of the people.
Right here in the United States the same phenomenon is happening with former President Donald Trump, who leads all public opinion polls to be the next president.
President Biden’s administration is doing everything possible to damage his campaign through manipulation and use of public resources, as well as justice. The number of illegal actions they bring to justice are a clear strategy to harm Trump’s campaign.
Fortunately in the United States there is no electoral court, and President Trump is the candidate of his party, despite the opposition of Biden, his followers, and corrupt elites, mainly in the media and social networks. .
The desperation is pathetic and this makes the people really see how corrupt and dishonest the process they are doing to President Trump is, and makes him continue to rise in the polls, as happened in Panama.
Just as in Panama, the people should be the ones who elect their president and other leaders, and not the rulers in power with their allies in the elites who fear losing their privileges.
