1952 Panamanian general election

General elections were held in Panama on 11 May 1952, electing both a new President of the Republic and a new National Assembly.

A temporary shift in power from the civilian aristocracy to the National Police occurred immediately after World War II. Between 1948 and 1952, National Police Commander José Antonio Remón Cantera installed and removed presidents with unencumbered ease. Remón increased salaries and fringe benefits for his forces and modernized training methods and equipment; in effect, he transformed the National Police from a police into a paramilitary force. From several existing parties and factions, José Antonio Remón Cantera also organized the National Patriotic Coalition (CPN). He ran successfully as its candidate for the presidency in 1952. ^[1]

Results

President

Candidate		Party or alliance			Votes	%
	José Antonio Remón Cantera	National Patriotic Coalition		Renewal Party	39,918	18.72
				Liberal Party	33,697	15.80
				National Revolutionary Party	28,221	13.23
				Authentic Revolutionary Party	20,837	9.77
				Popular Union Party	10,552	4.95
			Total		133,225	62.46
	Roberto Francisco Chiari Remón	Civic Alliance		National Liberal Party	78,094	36.61
				Patriotic Front
				Socialist Party
				Independent Revolutionary Party
	Pedro Moreno Correa	Conservative Party			1,967	0.92
Total					213,286	100.00
Valid votes					213,286	91.99
Invalid/blank votes					18,562	8.01
Total votes					231,848	100.00
Registered voters/turnout					343,353	67.52
Source: Conte-Porras [2]

Parliament

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats
	National Patriotic Coalition		Renewal Party			11
			Liberal Party			11
			National Revolutionary Party			8
			Authentic Revolutionary Party			5
			Popular Union Party			4
		Total				39
	Civic Alliance		National Liberal Party			10
			Patriotic Front			1
			Socialist Party			1
			Independent Revolutionary Party			2
		Total				14
	Conservative Party					0
Total						53
Registered voters/turnout				343,353	–
Source: Political Handbook of the World [3]

Aftermath

Remón followed national tradition by enriching himself through political office. He broke with tradition, however, by promoting social reform and economic development. His agricultural and industrial programs temporarily reduced the country's overwhelming economic dependence on the canal and the zone. ^[4]

The 1953 electoral reform law in effect reduced the field of political parties to lineal descendants of the old Liberals and Conservatives. The government had required parties to enroll 45,000 members to receive official recognition. ^[5]

Remón's reformist regime was short-lived, however. On 2 January 1955 he was machine-gunned to death at the racetrack outside Panama City. On 14 January the First Vice-President, José Ramón Guizado, was impeached for the crime and jailed, but he was never tried, and the motivation for his alleged act remained unclear. Some investigators believed that the impeachment of Guizado was a smokescreen to distract attention from others implicated in the assassination, including United States organized crime figure Lucky Luciano, dissident police officers, and both Arias families. The Second Vice-President, Ricardo Arias Espinosa (of the aristocratic Arias family), served out the remainder of the presidential term and dismantled many of Remón's reforms. ^[6]

References

1. Black, Jan Knippers and Edmundo Flores. "Historical setting." Meditz, Sandra W. 1989. Panama: a country study. Washington, D.C.: Rederal Research Division, Library of Congress. Pp. 34.
2. Conte-Porras, J. Arnulfo Arias Madrid. Panamá: Litho Impresora Panamá. 1980. Pp. 255.
3. Political Handbook of the world, 1953. New York, 1953. Pp. 153.
4. Black, Jan Knippers and Edmundo Flores. "Historical setting." Meditz, Sandra W. 1989. Panama: a country study. Washington, D.C.: Rederal Research Division, Library of Congress. Pp. 34.
5. Zimbalist, Andrew and John Weeks. Panama at the crossroads: economic development and political change in the Twentieth Century. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1991. Pp. 14.
6. Black, Jan Knippers and Edmundo Flores. "Historical setting." Meditz, Sandra W. 1989. Panama: a country study. Washington, D.C.: Rederal Research Division, Library of Congress. Pp. 34.