Position on Venezuela, part of the energetic international agenda of the new Panamanian Government

Panama City, Aug 4 (EFE).- The new Panamanian government, one month into power, has taken a clear position on the crisis in Venezuela, rejecting the election results released by the electoral body as “fraudulent,” a stance that adds to an energetic international activity that contrasts with the previous government, which was more neutral and passive.

Hours after the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela announced the reelection of Nicolás Maduro as president of the country in the early hours of July 29 without publishing the minutes that supported it, the head of the Panamanian State, José Raúl Mulino, announced that he was putting diplomatic relations with Caracas on “suspension” “until a complete review of the minutes” of the votes is carried out.

Mulino, 65, who fought against the dictatorship that ravaged Panama between 1968 and 1989, recalled the days of tyranny in his country and how, he said, governments on the continent looked the other way, something that, he said, he could not do in the face of the Venezuelan situation.

And this Friday, when the CNE confirmed that Maduro had won re-election, although, once again, without presenting the voting records or opening a process to compare the results, Mulino announced that Panama was joining the international recognition of Edmundo González Urrutia as the elected president of Venezuela.

The CNE confirmed on Friday that Maduro was re-elected in the presidential elections with 51.95% of the votes, compared to 43.18% for González Urrutia, with 96.87% of the votes counted.

González Urrutia and opposition leader María Corina Machado, however, made public 81% of the voting records, which show the opposition candidate as the winner with 67% of the votes, compared to 30% obtained by Maduro.

The new diplomatic impasse between Panama and Venezuela is taking place against the backdrop of the Venezuelan migrant crisis, which represents the vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of irregular travelers who arrive in the Central American country after crossing the Darien jungle, on the border with Colombia, on their way to the United States.

The continued presence of Maduro in power could lead to a new wave of Venezuelan migrants, various sectors have warned, fearing an aggravation of the humanitarian crisis that has ensued.

A rosary of bilateral tensions

This is not the first time that Panama and Venezuela have experienced moments of tension, which have included, as now, the suspension of commercial flights between the two countries, a situation that affects thousands of passengers, complicates supplies in the South American country and generates millions in economic losses.

In 2013, Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014) dismissed Guillermo Cochez as the country’s ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) for his “unconsulted” criticism of Venezuela’s internal situation, something that Maduro, then Venezuelan vice president, welcomed.

In March 2019, the government of then-president Juan Carlos Varela (2014-2019) withdrew the credentials of Jorge Durán, the ambassador of the government of Nicolás Maduro, and more than a dozen Venezuelan diplomats, one day after the arrest of the head of the office of Juan Guaidó, who had proclaimed himself president of Venezuela in January of that year.

Varela’s Executive also recognized Fabiola Zavarce as Guaidó’s diplomatic representative, a situation that was put to an end by the Government of Laurentino Cortizo (2019-2024).

A more dynamic foreign policy

Cortizo withdrew Zavarce’s credentials as Guidó’s diplomatic representative in January 2021. During her five-year term, the Venezuelan issue and Panama’s foreign policy in general entered a kind of hibernation.

In addition to his reaction to the Venezuelan situation, Mulino also participated as a guest in a recent summit of the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) where he expressed his intention to associate the country with this bloc.

Mulino has also spoken of further deepening relations with the United States, Panama’s main trading partner and its greatest political ally, as well as resuming the electrical interconnection with Colombia, a project of at least 500 million dollars that dates back to 2009, among others.

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