Democratic Change (Panama)
Democratic Change Cambio Democrático | |
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President | Rómulo Roux |
Founder | Ricardo Martinelli |
Founded | May 20, 1998 |
Headquarters | Parque Lefevre, Plaza Carolina, Panama City, Panama |
Ideology | |
Political position | Centre-right[8] |
Regional affiliation | Center-Democratic Integration Group |
Continental affiliation | Union of Latin American Parties[9] |
International affiliation | International Democracy Union[10] |
Colours | Cyan, Magenta, White |
Seats in the National Assembly | 8 / 71 |
District Mayors | 20 / 81 |
Corregimiento Representatives | 0 / 702 |
Seats in the Central American Parliament (Panamanian seats) | 0 / 20 |
Party flag | |
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Website | |
cambiodemocratico | |
Democratic Change (Spanish: Cambio Democrático) is a centre-right[6] political party in Panama.
The party was founded on May 20, 1998, by Ricardo Martinelli, owner of the Super 99 supermarket chain. At the end of 2013 the party listed more than 500,000 members, making it one of Panama's two largest parties with a membership almost equal to that of the Democratic Revolutionary Party.[11]
In the legislative elections of May 3, 2009, the party won 23.4% of the popular vote and 14 out of 78 seats. In the presidential elections of the same year, the party leader, Ricardo Martinelli, was elected President of Panama with 59.97% of the vote.
The party's candidate for the presidential elections of 2014 was José Domingo Arias who led the opinion polls but lost to then vice-president Juan Carlos Varela of the Panameñista Party.[12]
In January 2018, Rómulo Roux was elected as president of the party in place of Martinelli, who was detained in a federal prison in Miami at that time for corruption charges.[13] Martinelli would later leave the party in 2020 after disputes over party leadership.
Platform
[edit]The party's populist platform includes the support for a strong welfare state, notably programs like Cien a los Setenta for those older than 70 years old and Beca Universal for schoolchildren, mixed with free-market capitalism (similar to a social market economy). This includes measures to attract tourism and business through tax incentives as well as infrastructure investments, such as the expansion of the Panama Canal, highways and airports.
Election results
[edit]Presidential elections
[edit]Election | Candidate | Votes | Vote % | Result | ||
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Party | Alliance Total | Party | Alliance Total | |||
1999 | Mireya Moscoso | 36,068 | 572,717 | 2.82 | 44.80 | ![]() |
2004 | Ricardo Martinelli | 79,491 | 5.30 | ![]() | ||
2009 | 509,986 | 952,333 | 32.15 | 60.03 | ![]() | |
2014 | José Domingo Arias | 483,309 | 581,828 | 26.07 | 31.38 | ![]() |
2019 | Rómulo Roux | 564,297 | 609,003 | 28.72 | 31.00 | ![]() |
2024 | 138,274 | 258,818 | 6.08 | 11.38 | ![]() |
National Assembly elections
[edit]Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | Ricardo Martinelli | 66,841 | 5.44% (#7) | 2 / 71
|
New | Coalition |
2004 | 107,511 | 7.40% (#5) | 3 / 78
|
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Opposition | |
2009 | 352,319 | 23.42% (#2) | 14 / 71
|
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Coalition | |
2014 | 573,603 | 33.72% (#1) | 30 / 71
|
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Opposition | |
2019 | Rómulo Roux | 405,798 | 22.45% (#2) | 18 / 71
|
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Opposition |
2024 | 239,529 | 11.19% (#3) | 8 / 71
|
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Opposition |
PARLACEN elections
[edit]The amount of seats allocated for the PARLACEN is based on the vote share obtained by each party in the presidential election.
Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Rómulo Roux | 483,309 | 26.07% (#3) | 7 / 20
|
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2024[a] | 138,374 | 6.08% (#4) | 0 / 20
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- ^ Democratic Change did not field any candidate for PARLACEN in this election despite contesting the presidential one.
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Luxner, Larry (June 2009), "Political Winds Shift in Central America, But Their Direction Is Far From Certain", The Washington Diplomat
- ^ a b Johnson, Stephen (9 September 2011), Minor Meltdown in Panama, Center for Strategic and International Studies, archived from the original on 2013-12-21
- ^ Conservative businessman elected president in Panama, MercoPress, 4 May 2009
- ^ [1][2][3]
- ^ "A Once-Vibrant City Struggles as Panama Races Ahead on a Wave of Prosperity". The New York Times. March 23, 2013.
- ^ a b Sullivan, Mark P. (2 February 2011), Panama: Political and Economic Conditions and U.S. Relations, Congressional Research Service, p. 1
- ^ Freedom House (2011), "Country Report: Panama", Freedom in the World 2011: The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties, Rowman & Littlefield, p. 519
- ^ [6][7]
- ^ "Partidos Miembros". Archived from the original on 2022-03-31. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
- ^ "Members | International Democracy Union". February 1, 2018.
- ^ Estadística de personas inscritas en partidos políticos constituidos y en formación con relación al Padrón Electoral hasta el 31 de diciembre de 2013, Tribunal Electoral (pdf)
- ^ "Arias wins CD primary, says focus will be on unity"[permanent dead link], La Prensa (Panama City), 12 May 2013
- ^ González, Carlos H. (2018-01-21). "Rómulo Roux vence a Martinelli en elecciones internas del CD". TVN (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2018-02-03. Retrieved 2021-04-27.