BRIEFS. politics

Panamanians divided over upcoming elections

With 14 months to go before elections in May 2009, Panamanians are divided in almost equal parts as to whether to elect a candidate from one of the opposition parties or someone from President Martín Torrijos's ruling party, the Partido Revolucionario Democratico (PRD).

Of the 1,200 people surveyed in a recent poll by the firm Dichter & Neira, 893 of whom would vote in the upcoming elections, 37.3 percent would vote for a candidate from the political opposition and 38.7 percent for a PRD candidate.

The survey suggests that some 24 percent of the voters who are currently not inclined toward either the opposition or official party will determine the outcome of the next presidential election.

This overall scenario, which presupposes a united opposition, amounts to a technical tie since the margin of error for the specific survey is plus or minus 3.3%.