election

High voter turnout expected in May

Panama ranks among the countries with the highest voter turnout in Central America, according to a State of the Region report on electoral systems in Latin America. The country has achieved a record average of 75.6 percent participation in its last three elections following ex-dictator Manuel Noriega’s overthrow in 1989.

Costa Rica and Nicaragua took high positions as well, with participation averages of 71.6 percent and 79.9 percent, respectively.

The report, which spanned elections within the last 17 years, Panama was the only country in Central America that didn’t experience a downward trend in voter turnout.

“Rather, it has increased steadily throughout that period, although not at same rate,” details the 2008 report.

Recent polls indicated that this year’s general election won’t break the trend. A survey of 1,250 people conducted by Unimer for La Prensa found that seven out of 10 registered voters intend to head to the polls on May 3. About 25 percent of respondents said they hadn’t decided if they would vote and 6.9 percent said they would definitely not participate.

A much lower number of voters tend to come out in support of referendums, however.

The past three referendums, held in 1992, 1998 and 2006, attracted between 40 percent and 65 percent of registered voters. The most recent referendum was the one to determine whether or not the Canal would be expanded.

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