BRIEFS. elections

Station outlines time for candidates

Starting in January, political parties will receive free time on state television as part of the run up to the national elections in May.

Carlos Aguilar, director general of the government-owned SerTV, reported that he is coordinating with the Tribunal Electoral and the National Council of Political Parties to clarify the rules governing the distribution of free space.

The plan is to cede five hours of programming weekly for political parties and independents. In addition, starting in February, he plans to use one hour a week, from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., for a political discussion show featuring candidates.

Meanwhile, the presidential debates will most likely be different than they were in 2004.

Luis H. Moreno, president of the Panamanian Foundation for Ethics and Civics, the entity that organized the debates in 2004, said that stations are organizing debates on their own, which was evident during the party primaries and the Panama City mayoral debates.