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Weekly Report - 25 August 2016 (WR-16-33)
PANAMA: Varela called to account over a pledge
President Juan Carlos Varela is under pressure to call a constituent assembly in order to draft a new national constitution. A civil-society organisation, ‘Constituyente Va’, and a special commission set up by the national bar association, known as ‘Comisión Pro Constituyente’, began collecting signatures last week aimed at forcing Varela to make good a 2014 electoral pledge, which he had said was necessary “to strengthen the separation of state powers, promote decentralisation of public power, and guarantee sustainable development with equity”. The need to strengthen institutions comes as Varela received a setback after two high-profile members of a special commission set up in the wake of the so-called ‘Panama Papers’ scandal [WR-16-13] stepped down citing lack of government cooperation (see box).
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