Torrijos Pledges to Regain People's Trust in Panamanian Politics

Prensa Latina, 3 May 2004

Panama City, May 3 (Prensa Latina) Panama's President-elect Martin Torrijos is beginning Monday a four-month transition up to the moment he is sworn in as president, promising to change government policies to recover people's trust in politicians.

Torrijos won the general elections on Sunday with more than 47 percent of votes and is the leader of Patria Nueva Party, an alliance between Partido Revolucionario Democratico and Partido Popular. He said his government will include those Panamanian ready to fight corruption and end with despair.

The president-elect is son of late General Omar Torrijos who signed a treaty with United States to recover Panama's sovereignty over the Panama Canal. Martin Torrijos honored his father's memory and said he would be proud of the victory of his party in the elections.

Part of general Torrijos' legacy was the challenge the Patria Nueva party must accomplish to modernize the government and take care of the most needed citizens, the president-elect said.

In the electoral campaign we promise to solve all problems in the country in five years and promised to establish bases for a modern, different, pluralistic new nation, where the law is observed and justice served without impunity, Torrijos said.

The president-elect had also promised in his electoral campaign more jobs and security and ends with corruption, a challenge for his new administration starting on September 1 after his inauguration.

Sunday's elections in Panama were the third since the 1989 US invasion and the first without the presence of US troops in Panama after their withdrawal in December 1999, agreed on the treaties Torrijos-Carter of 1977.