The Foundation for the Development of Citizen Freedomrequested this Monday to the president of the National Assembly, Shirley Castanedasreturn Bill 699 to first debate, which proposes reforms to the Electoral Code.
The organization presented a formal request to the Presidency of the Legislature so that the proposal can be submitted again to a broad, transparent and participatory discussion. considering that the changes incorporated into the project require further analysis before advancing in the legislative process.
The request occurs after the Foundation issued a citizen alert on September 30 about the modifications introduced to the project and published the previous week. According to the organization, some of these changes represent setbacks in terms of transparency, control of political financing and electoral equity.
Among the main concerns highlighted by Libertad Ciudadana are the reduction of oversight mechanisms, the increase in electoral financing and spending limits, as well as the reduction of sanctions and other measures that could make it difficult for candidates to compete on equal terms.
The Foundation maintains that electoral reforms have a direct impact on the rules that govern democracy and, therefore, should not be approved without a process that allows technical analysis and the participation of different sectors of society.
“An electoral reform defines the fundamental rules of democracy”the organization emphasized in its statement, in which it insisted on the need to guarantee public deliberation and citizen scrutiny.
They ask for more discussion
Citizen Liberty called on the National Assembly to Ensure an open and transparent legislative process during project discussion.
For the organization, submit Bill 699 again to first debate would allow the proposed changes to be reviewed in greater depth and evaluate their possible effects on the Panamanian electoral system.
In that sense, they asked the deputies to consider the observations raised and promote a debate that incorporates technical criteria and citizen participation.
The statement comes at a time when the discussion on electoral reforms is generating concern among civil society organizations, which have warned about the impact that the changes could have on the conditions of competition and on controls over political financing.
