1989 Panamanian general election

1989 Panamanian general election

←  1984 7 May 1989 1994  →
Presidential election
Turnout	60.48% (first round) 12.65pp 63.85% (second round)
Nominee Guillermo Endara Carlos Duque Party Independent PRD Running mate Ricardo Arias Calderón Ernesto Pérez Balladares Popular vote 473,838 188,914 Percentage 71.19% 28.38%
President before election Francisco Rodríguez PRD Elected President Election results annulled Provisional government established

General elections were held in Panama on 7 May 1989, with the goal of electing both a new President of the Republic and a new Legislative Assembly. The two primary candidates in the presidential race were Guillermo Endara, who headed Democratic Alliance of Civic Opposition (ADOC), a coalition opposed to military ruler Manuel Noriega, and Carlos Duque, who headed the pro-Noriega Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD).

However, the election was annulled before voting was completed by Noriega's government, and Endara and his running mate Guillermo Ford were attacked in front of foreign media by Noriega supporters, events that contributed to the US invasion of Panama in December of that year. During the invasion, Endara was declared the election's winner and sworn in as the new president of Panama.

Background

The death of Arnulfo Arias in August 1988, a few days before his eighty-seventh birthday, removed a major obstacle to opposition unity, but also created several new problems. It left the opposition without a charismatic national leader to place at the head of any 1989 electoral ticket. ^[1]

The Authentic Panameñista Party, Panama's leading opposition party, divided in December 1988. The Electoral Tribunal formally recognized the faction led by Hildebrando Nicosia Pérez as the legitimate party representative, entitling Nicosia and his colleagues to use the party symbols. According to the opposition, the government engineered the division in the party to sow confusion among the electorate. However, Nicosia's effort to present himself as the heir of Arias was singularly unsuccessful according to the opposition's election results, which showed him receiving less than one percent of the vote.

The PPA's main body, including a majority of the party's hierarchy, joined the anti-government Democratic Alliance of Civic Opposition (ADOC); the party's secretary-general, Guillermo Endara, was ADOC's presidential candidate. Denied use of the PPA symbol, Endara and the party's legislative candidates competed under the banner of the Authentic Liberal Party, which is the product of a schism that developed in the Liberal Party prior to the 1984 elections. The military rule of Manuel Noriega also provoked a split in the Republican Party (RP), but the majority of the legitimate leadership of the RP participated in the ADOC coalition. ^[2] Two other major parties—the PDC and MOLIRENA—were also part of ADOC. ADOC also had the support of the small Popular Action Party (PAPA), and National Peoples Party (PNP), and defectors from the Liberal and Republican parties, and a dissident faction of the PPA. In addition to Endara, ADOC's electoral slate included Ricardo Arias Calderón of the PDC for first vice president and Guillermo Ford of MOLIRENA for second vice president. ^[2]

Progovernment parties - the PRD, PALA, PR, PL, PPR, PPP, PAN, PDT had formed a new electoral coalition, the National Liberation Coalition (COLINA). The PRD was the coalition's leading party and its president, Carlos Alberto Duque Jaén, a business associate of Noriega, was the coalition's presidential candidate. COLINA's other significant party was PALA, led by Ramón Sieiro Murgas, the coalition's candidate for first vice president and a brother-in-law of Noriega. COLINA's candidate for second vice president was Aquilino Boyd, former foreign minister, and former ambassador to the United States, the United Nations and, most recently, the Organization of American States. COLINA, in presenting a united slate for the legislature, contained a broad ideological spectrum that included Communist Party members, businessmen and professionals. ^[3]

Results

An exit poll of 1,022 voters gave the opposition an overwhelming victory: 55.1% for Endara, but only 39.5% for Duque. The margin shocked Noriega, who either was misled by advisers or really believed that the election would be close enough to manipulate with minimal fraud. ^[4] Suspecting that Noriega would never allow an honest vote, ADOC organized a count of results from election precincts before they were sent to district centers. As it turned out, Noriega's cronies had taken bogus tally sheets to the district centers in order to make it appear Duque had won in a landslide. ^[5]

On 9 May government-released results gave a clear-cut lead to Duque. By this time, however, the opposition's count was already out. It showed Endara winning in a landslide, with a nearly 3-to-1 lead over Duque. Opposition forces - as well as foreign observers and the clergy - thereupon claimed massive election irregularities. Parliamentary results also indicated an opposition victory. ^{[6] [5]}

President

Candidate		Party or alliance			Initial results		Final release
					Votes	%	Votes	%
	Guillermo Endara	Democratic Alliance of Civic Opposition		Christian Democratic Party	261,598	40.18	473,838	71.19
				Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement	132,011	20.28
				Authentic Liberal Party	69,779	10.72
			Total		463,388	71.18
	Carlos Duque	National Liberation Coalition		Democratic Revolutionary Party	120,564	18.52	188,914	28.38
				Labor and Agrarian Party	35,264	5.42
				Liberal Party	12,718	1.95
				Republican Party	5,584	0.86
				Revolutionary Panameñista Party	5,533	0.85
				People's Party of Panama	2,919	0.45
				Nationalist Action Party	1,463	0.22
				Democratic Worker's Party	855	0.13
			Total		184,900	28.40
	Hildebrando Nicosia Pérez	Authentic Panameñista Party			2,750	0.42	2,822	0.42
Total					651,038	100.00	665,574	100.00
Valid votes					651,038	90.70	665,574	87.83
Invalid/blank votes					66,733	9.30	92,223	12.17
Total votes					717,771	100.00	757,797	100.00
Registered voters/turnout					1,186,754	60.48	1,186,754	63.85
Source: Carter Center, [7] Nohlen [8]

By province

Province	Endara ADOC	Duque COLINA	Nicosia PPA
Bocas del Toro	70.15%	27.76%	0.46%
Coclé	59.99%	29.70%	0.39%
Colón	75.63%	20.31%	0.41%
Chiriquí	65.18%	26.86%	0.46%
Darién	40.29%	39.64%	0.21%
Herrera	62.78%	28.56%	0.11%
Los Santos	59.03%	33.93%	0.19%
Panamá	66.92%	22.10%	0.41%
Veraguas	54.21%	34.76%	0.23%
San Blas	34.40%	65.31%	0.28%
Total	71.19%	28.38%	0.42%
Source: Carter Center

National Assembly

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats
						1989	1991	Total
	Democratic Alliance of Civic Opposition		Christian Democratic Party	219,944	36.10	27	2	29
			Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement	122,974	20.19	15	2	17
			Authentic Liberal Party	61,916	10.16	9	0	9
		Total		404,834	66.45	51	4	55
	National Liberation Coalition		Democratic Revolutionary Party	114,741	18.83	6	4	10
			Labor and Agrarian Party	47,775	7.84	1	0	1
			Liberal Party	17,712	2.91	0	1	0
			Republican Party	8,602	1.41	0	0	0
			People's Party of Panama	4,988	0.82	0	0	0
			Nationalist Action Party	3,572	0.59	0	0	0
			Revolutionary Panameñista Party	2,917	0.48	0	0	0
			Democratic Worker's Party	1,075	0.18	0	0	0
		Total		201,382	33.06	7	5	12
	Authentic Panameñista Party			3,015	0.49	0	0	0
Total				609,231	100.00	58	9	67
Source: Nohlen [9]

Aftermath

Noriega had intended to declare Duque the winner regardless of the actual count. However, Duque knew that he had been soundly defeated and refused to go along. ^[5] On 10 May, the president of the Electoral Tribunal read a statement signed by all three magistrates annulling the elections. The statement alluded to the fact that the great number of irregularities across the country made counting the votes impossible. ^[10] The next day, Endara and his running mate Ford were badly beaten by a detachment of Dignity Battalions, a paramilitary group supporting Noriega. ^{[11] [12]} Endara was struck with an iron club and was briefly hospitalized, receiving eight stitches. ^[13] Images of the attack on Endara and Ford were carried by media around the world, and were credited with building public support for the US invasion that would soon follow. ^{[12] [14] [15]}

The nullification decree coupled with the attack on Endara and Ford outraged Panamanians and the international community. In an emergency session on 17 May, the Organization of American States adopted a resolution condemning the regime for its actions. ^[16] Former US President Jimmy Carter, one of the election observers, was placed under brief house arrest by Noriega's forces to prevent him from speaking to the press. At a later press conference, he called for an international response to the stolen election, then addressed the Noriega administration directly, asking "Are you honest people, or are you thieves?" ^[17]

On 31 August 1989, the Council of State dissolved the National Assembly, named a provisional government headed by ex-Attorney General Francisco Rodríguez, and announced that he would consider holding another election in six months. ^[18]

The immediate events that triggered the invasion began on December 15, when Panama's hand-picked National Assembly declared Noriega the de jure head of state, giving him the title of Maximum Leader. Then the assembly, citing aggression against the Panamanian people, declared the republic in a state of war with the United States. ^[19] On 20 December, 24,000 US troops invaded Panama in Operation Just Cause, deposing Noriega. ^[18]

Endara had by this time taken refuge in the Panama Canal Zone, which was under US control. Though Endara had opposed US military action during his campaign, he accepted the presidency, stating later that, "morally, patriotically, civically I had no other choice". ^[15] He was certified the winner of the election and inaugurated on a US military base on December 20. Ricardo Arias Calderón was inaugurated as first vice president, and Ford as second vice president. ^[20]

On 27 December, the Electoral Tribunal revoked the annulment of the general elections held on 7 May. ^[21] Working on voting returns of the May 1989 elections, on 23 February 1990, the tribunal confirmed the election of 58 of the 67 legislators, with 51 seats going to the ADOC coalition and only six to the pro-Noriega PRD. ^[22] On 27 January 1991, by-elections were held for the nine seats of the Legislative Assembly which could not be filled at the May 1989 general elections. The PRD's victory in five of the seats deepened internal divisions in the government coalition. ^[23]

References

1. Millett, Richard L. "The failure of Panama's internal opposition, 1987-1989." Conflict resolution and democratization in Panama: implications for U.S. policy. 1992. Washington: The Center for Strategic and International Studies. Pp. 26.
2. The May 7, 1989 Panamanian Elections. International Delegation Report. 1989. Pp. 37. (http://www.cartercenter.org/documents/electionreports/democracy/FinalReportPanama1989.pdf)
3. The May 7, 1989 Panamanian Elections. International Delegation Report. 1989. Pp. 36. (http://www.cartercenter.org/documents/electionreports/democracy/FinalReportPanama1989.pdf)
4. Scranton, Margaret E. 1991. The Noriega years: U.S.-Panamanian relations, 1981–1990. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers. Pp. 161.
5. Koster, R.M.; Guillermo Sánchez (1990). In the Time of the Tyrants: Panama, 1968–1990 . New York City: Norton. ISBN   0-393-02696-5.
6. Chronicle of parliamentary elections. Geneva: International Centre for Parliamentary Documentation, Inter-Parliamentary Union. Volume 24, 1990. Pp. 174.
7. The May 7, 1989 Panamanian Elections Center Center. 1989. Pp. 111-114.
8. Elections in the Americas : a data handbook / ed. by Dieter Nohlen, Vol. 1. [Oxford] [u.a.]: Oxford Univ. Press, 2005. Pp.533.
9. Elections in the Americas : a data handbook / ed. by Dieter Nohlen, Vol. 1. [Oxford] [u.a.] : Oxford Univ. Press, 2005. Pp.527.
10. Pérez, Orlando J. "Elections under crisis: background to Panama in the 1980s." Seligson, Mitchell A. and John A. Booth. 1995. Elections and democracy in Central America, revisited. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press. Pp. 133.
11. Katz, Gregory (May 11, 1989). "Panama Violence Spreads Thugs Attack 3 Anti-noriega Candidates". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 4, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
12. Martin, Douglas (September 30, 2009). "Guillermo Endara, Who Helped Lead Panama From Noriega to Democracy, Dies at 73". The New York Times. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
13. "Panama declares election result void; Endara hurt". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 11, 1989. Archived from the original on January 3, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
14. MacPherson, Myra (January 30, 1990). "Panama's Philosopher Pol;Ricardo Arias Calderon's Leap From Exiled Academic to Vice President". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on June 19, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2012.(subscription required)
15. Davison, Phil (October 2, 2009). "Guillermo Endara". The Independent. Archived from the original on January 3, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2012.(subscription required)
16. The May 7, 1989 Panamanian Elections. International Delegation Report. 1989. Pp. 17. (http://www.cartercenter.org/documents/electionreports/democracy/FinalReportPanama1989.pdf)
17. Harding, Robert C. (2006). The History of Panama. Greenwood Press. p. 112. ISBN   031333322X.
18. Dunkerley, James. 1994. The pacification of Central America: political change in the isthmus, 1987–1993. London: Verso. Pp. 35.
19. Musicant, Ivan. 1990. The banana wars: a history of United States military intervention in Latin America from the Spanish–American War to the invasion of Panama. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. Pp. 396.
20. Freed, Kenneth (May 6, 1991). "Panama's 3-Party Rule Turns Into 3-Ring Circus". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
21. Chronicle of parliamentary elections. Geneva: International Centre for Parliamentary Documentation, Inter-Parliamentary Union. Volume 24, 1990. Pp. 20.
22. Country profile. Costa Rica, Panama (Economist Intelligence Unit), 1994–1995. Pp. 33.
23. Chronicle of parliamentary elections. Geneva: International Centre for Parliamentary Documentation, Inter-Parliamentary Union. Volume 25, 1991. Pp. 19.