It was arguably only a matter of time. The alliance between President Ricardo Martinelli’s Cambio Democrático (CD) party and its main coalition partner, the Partido Panameñista (PP), is now in tatters. This month, CD members confirmed that a process was underway to pick a candidate ahead of the 2014 presidential vote. This reneges on the deal struck ahead of the 2009 May election whereby Vice-President Juan Carlos Varela, the PP party president, ditched his bid to join Martinelli on the understanding that the PP would head up the coalition ticket in 2014. It suggests that just as Martinelli now effectively controls the judiciary, he is no longer dependent on PP support to push through his legislative agenda.End of preview - This article contains approximately 532 words.
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