Panama Welcomes New President

by Mike Godfrey, Tax-News.com, Washington

06 May 2004

The victory on Sunday by President-elect Martin Torrijos (son of Omar Torrijos, who ruled Panama between 1968 and 1981) has been broadly welcomed by the country's population, especially its younger voters.

The President-elect, who defeated his nearest rival for the presidency, Guillermo Endara by a 16% margin, had run for the position in 1999, but was unsuccessful.

However, according to an Associated Press report on the election, after losing the presidential battle in 1999, Torrijos assumed leadership of his father's party, sought to reform it, and created a platform based on combating corruption, boosting employment, and reforming Panama's fiscal system.

Speaking to the AP in Washington, State Department spokesman, Richard Boucher announced that:

"We congratulate President-elect Torrijos, and look forward to continuing with him the same close cooperation we had with President Moscoso."

The presidential elections followed the commencement late last month of talks on the proposed Free Trade Agreement between Panama and the US. The negotiations will now resume in Los Angeles in June 7.

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