politics

Ad ban prompts criticism

The Consejo Nacional de Periodismo (CNP) demanded yesterday that the judges of the Tribunal Electoral (TE) revoke a ban on political advertisements featuring the image of Partido Revolucionario Democrático presidential candidates Balbina Herrera.

The ad, being run by Juan Carlos Navarro, featured Herrera voicing her support for Navarro at an event that took place before she decided to run.

TE Judge Eduardo Valdés Escófery ordered the ads halted, arguing that they violated the country's election laws.

The CNP expressed its strong opposition to the TE's decision, claiming that Panama's democracy is sufficiently mature to discern the politcal atmosphere without authorities stepping in to restrict campaign advertising.

“Such behavior is dangerous, and it risks curtailing fundamental freedoms of opinion, expression and access to information,” the organization stated.

The ad had been modified to remove Herrera’s picture, but it continued to use the audio from the event.

Earlier, the ban was criticized by Transparency International, which stated that the country’s electorate deserved to know the “good, the bad and the ugly,” about the candidates.