BRIEFS. politics

PRD delegates to pick from 53 candidates

A total of 53 candidates will be vying for the nine positions on the Comité Ejecutivo Nacional (CEN) of the Partido Revolucionario Democrático (PRD).

The nomination period ended yesterday with 13 additional candidates throwing their hats into the ring.

The party's 4,200 delegates will gather at the Rod Carew National Stadium on March 9 to vote on the CEN's membership. This committee will then decide the party's candidate for the 2009 presidential election.

One potential CEN candidate, Miguel De Freitas, was eliminated because he did not meet the party's requirements to run for the committee.

Among the candidates are President Martín Torrijos, who is running for secretary, and former President Ernesto Pérez Balladares, who is running for chairman.

Balladares is being opposed by Torrijos ally Balbina Herrera, the ministra de Vivienda.