The announcement was not surprising, since Carrizo resigned a few days ago from his position as Minister of the Presidency, which he held at the same time as Vice President of Panama, which was interpreted by analysts and local media as a sign that he would launch into the electoral contest.
Panamanian law prohibits a minister from running for elective office, but the prohibition does not apply to a vice president.
A poll published on Tuesday by the newspaper La Estrella de Panamá showed Martinelli (2009-2014) at the head of the presidential preferences with 30%, followed by Carrizo with 27%.
Carrizo promised to continue the path of current President Laurentino Cortizo, who leads “a PRD government that has saved lives” during the covid-19 pandemic and “shakes hands with those who have less.”
Nicknamed “Gaby” by his followers, Carrizo survived a scandal in 2020 over his ministry’s alleged attempt to buy respirators for covid-19 patients at a premium. The prosecution opened an investigation and the purchase was cancelled, but President Cortizo kept it in his cabinet.
The PRD is the Panamanian party with the most militants, 736,000 in a nation of just over four million inhabitants, but a week ago it was accused of “clientelism” by a man from its ranks: former President Martín Torrijos, son of the general.
The former president (2004-2009) criticized the PRD leadership for insisting on appointing dozens of candidates for Parliament and municipalities, instead of having them chosen in primaries.
“That is not ‘Torrijismo,'” the former president said in a video, accusing the PRD leaders of “using Torrijismo at their convenience to justify the unjustifiable” and defend “their interests.”