Martinelli Boasts Solid Lead in Panama

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(Angus Reid Global Monitor) Supermarket tycoon Ricardo Martinelli has become the favourite contender in Panama’s presidential race, according to a poll by Unimer published in La Prensa. 50 per cent of respondents would vote for the candidate of the opposition Democratic Change (CD) in this year’s election, up 6.9 points since January.
 

Balbina Herrera of the governing Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD) is second with 28.5 per cent—up 3.1 points in a month—followed by former president Guillermo Endara of the Moral Vanguard of the Homeland (VMP) with 3.8 per cent. 17.2 per cent of respondents remain undecided.

PRD member Martín Torrijos—the son of Omar Torrijos, an army general who ruled Panama from 1968 to 1981—won the May 2004 presidential election with 47.44 per cent of the vote. His tenure included an ambitious plan to expand the Panama Canal with an investment of $5.25 billion U.S. In October 2006, the proposal was ratified in a nationwide referendum.
 

Martinelli, the owner of a major supermarket chain, portrays himself as a political outsider. Herrera served as housing minister in the current government.
 

In January, Martinelli and Juan Carlos Varela of the Panameñista Party (PPA)—who had consistently ranked as the third most popular presidential contender—formed an alliance.
 

Earlier this month, Martinelli officially chose Varela as his running mate. The joint bid of the CD and PPA is supported by two other small opposition parties. Varela said he "made the decision to join forces with Ricardo to fight for better days for all Panamanians" and to "ensure the change that this country needs."
 

The presidential election in Panama is scheduled for May 3.

Polling Data

Who would you vote for in the next presidential election?

Source: Unimer / La Prensa
Methodology: Interviews with 1,250 Panamanian adults, conducted from Feb. 4 to Feb. 6, 2009. Margin of error is 2.9 per cent.