Election of the Electoral Tribunal magistrate: Bloise, Samaniego and Zamora challenged the Vamos line

The independent deputies Jorge Bloise, Manuel Samaniego and Neftali Zamora They departed from the line of the Let’s go bench when voting for the new magistrate of the Electoral Tribunal (TE).

All three supported Jaime Barrosocandidate promoted by the ruling party, while the rest of the independents voted – along with the flock We continue– in favor of the re-election of Alfredo Juncá.

None of his colleagues from the Vamos bench spoke out during the vote. However, the deputy Janine Prado He sent a veiled message: “Since a responsible opposition to the Government was assumed, it was already known what was going to happen in this election.”

‘It wasn’t a surprise’

Roberto Zunigaconfirmed to The Press that the decision of Bloise, Samaniego and Zamora did not take the group by surprise.

“It was not a surprise for us,” he assured, while explaining that the deputies communicated it between Tuesday and Wednesday. As he explained, the bench tried to persuade them to maintain the bloc vote, although they avoided detailing the reasons behind their position.

What will happen to them? Zúñiga also announced that they will evaluate the situation in the coming days.

Regarding the internal fractures that a decision like this leaves in the bench, he said the following: “It may be, but the most important thing is to try to avoid it… to be able to communicate and understand the positions.”

The reasons

Asked about the reasons for voting for Barroso, Neftali Zamora reported this: “There were more than 20 candidates for magistrates of the Electoral Tribunal and I do not understand why, but only two made it to the plenary session: the person seeking re-election and another candidate. As an independent, I preferred to give my vote to a person other than the one who currently occupies the position.”

While Jorge Bloise He raised this position: “After 1 year of being at the Electoral Court every week at the electoral reform table and my experience, my vote was for a renewal in the Court, conscientiously and with the confidence that there can be positive changes for our democracy.”

While Manuel Samaniego spoke on social network X: “I have decided to support Jaime Barroso for Magistrate of the @tepanama. I firmly believe in a renewal for this institution that is so important for democracy and the future of the country. “To the outgoing magistrate, thank you for your work and wish the new one the best success in future challenges.”

On July 1, 2024, when Vamos debuted as a legislative bench, it had 20 deputies, since at that time it incorporated Betserai Richards, who arrived at the Justo Arosemena Palace through free nomination.

Over time, that number decreased: Richards left the group last year, Manuel Cheng followed suit later, and Carlos Saldaña was expelled last February.

Eliana Morales Gil

Political Section Editor