Judges rule 3,093 voters ineligible

A total of 3,093 voters, out of 4,408 objections filed, were excluded from the electoral roll after Tribunal Electoral (TE) judges determined that they did not reside in the district where they had registered.

The judges held hearings from Aug. 6 until Aug. 23 to interview witnesses and examine property and election records.

Yesterday, the judges reported that cases of voters who were excluded will be forwarded to the Fiscalía Electoral to determine if further legal action should be taken.

There is still a pending hearing to address the 11 contested registrations from the Comarca Ngöbe Buglé. That hearing will be held Aug. 28.

Among those excluded from the voter list were Noriela Rodríguez and Jilma Ceballosis, stepmother and mother-in-law of Veraguas legislator Freidi Torres, who was the main supporter of a bill that sought to relax the requirements for changing residences.