elections

Candidates hope their money talks

It’s primary season in Panama and the campaign money is flowing. An audit by Ibope Time revealed that candidates for public office have already spent $4.6 million on advertising.

Spending by Partido Revolucionario Democrático (PRD) candidates Juan Carlos Navarro and Balbina Herrera accounts for 48 percent of that sum, with Partido Panameñista hopefuls Juan Carlos Varela and Alberto Vallarino taking second place, with 31 percent. Cambio Democrático party founder and candidate Ricardo Martinelli brings up the rear with 21 percent.

The volume of money spent so far for the campaign has drawn some criticism from the public, who consider how the money might be better spent in a country where half of the population subsists on less than $2 a day, and in some provinces, nearly 50 percent of children suffer from chronic malnutrition.

Panama City Mayor and presidential hopeful Juan Carlos Navarro leads the pack in campaign expenses, having racked up $1.1 million so far this year. In a recent interview, Navarro justified his spending.

“Communicating my plans is the heart of my campaign,” he said. “I do it with the express purpose of making my commitments public.”

Navarro rejected the idea that his spending was excessive. “My campaign makes a science of advertising. What we have allotted is what is needed to get my proposals across. No more, no less.”