2023-06-05 03:54:50
Despite the legal proceedings once morest him, the former president of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli, won the primaries on Sunday for his party, Realizando Metas (RM), for which he became the candidate for the presidential election of May 2024. He has defeated the other three candidates with an overwhelming majority of 96.94%, according to the counting of 98.63% of the polls.
In total, 234,700 people were called to vote during these primaries, the participation rate having been 25.84%, according to data from the Electoral Tribunal.
Ricardo Martinelli, 71, is under investigation for money laundering. The public prosecutor requested a 12-year prison sentence in this case.
Ricardo Martinelli, along with 14 other co-accused, is being prosecuted for having bought in 2010 with public money the majority of the shares of the press group Editora Panama America, owner of the eponymous daily as well as the popular newspapers Critica and Dia a Dia .
Immunity as a candidate
“The only way I can get out of the presidential race is through the ongoing political trial, contrary to what the law says that was approved to protect campaign candidates. They will have to kill me,” said Ricardo Martinelli in his speech announcing his candidacy.
The populist ex-president asks that his immunity as a presidential candidate be respected “so that he cannot be investigated, detained, arrested or prosecuted criminal, political or administrative (…) except in the case of a flagrant crime”, according to the electoral code.
In his speech, Ricardo Martinelli asked the Electoral Court and international observers “to ensure that democracy, the electoral penal code and the will of the people are respected”.
He is seeking a second term following that carried out between 2009 and 2014. Ricardo Martinelli’s main rivals in the presidential election on May 5, 2024 will be former president Martin Torrijos (2004-2009) and current vice-president José Gabriel Carrizo, although that their parties have not yet held primaries.
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