2023-09-11 22:38:00
Ricardo Martinelli, president between 2009 and 2014 and sentenced to 10 years in prison, in several polls positions himself as the leader to win the elections, despite his sentence.
Panorama General. On July 18 of this year, Ricardo Martinelli was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of the purchase, with public funds, of the media outlets Panamá América, Crítica and Día a Día.
The former president, now a candidate for the Realizing Goals party (RM, right), is also accused of allegedly accepting bribes in the framework of the famous Odebrecht case.
His allegations of corruption have placed him as a candidate little valued by the United States, which has prohibited the former president from entering the North American country.
Despite having been sentenced, Martinelli and his team have appealed the judge’s decision, which allows him to run as a candidate as long as the case remains open and the sentence is not final.
Newspaper archive. Martinelli began his political career as Director of the Social Security Fund of Panama between 1994 and 1996, implementing a series of administrative reforms that validated his image as a successful businessman, capable of managing public affairs, such as his companies.
In 2009, Martinelli won the presidential elections with 60%, defeating the official candidate, Balbina Herrera, of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (center-left).
Martinelli’s presidency is remembered, mainly, for the country’s economic growth. From his arrival to power until his end, foreign direct investment increased from $1,259 million to $4,651 million, an increase of 300%.
Despite the allegations of corruption, Panamanians remember Martinelli for his work in economic matters, to the point of making the phrase “he stole but he did” popular, thus explaining his popularity in the polls.
Data. CID-Gallup published a survey where Ricardo Martinelli leads voting intentions with 48%. In the same, he leads, by 38%, his closest opponent, Martín Torrijos of the Popular Party (center), placing him as the great favorite to win the elections on May 5, 2024.
On the other hand, a La Prensa survey places the candidate of the RM party with 37% of the voting intention, with a difference of more than 10% compared to that of CID-Gallup. This survey was carried out after Martinelli’s sentencing.
While his case cost him several points in voting intention, Martinelli and his RM party continue to lead the second party by almost 30% according to La Prensa, which places Torrijos with only 8%.
The La Estrella de Panamá survey places Martinelli (29%) with a slight advantage of 1% over his opponent José Gabriel Carrizo (28%), a candidate who has only 5% in the La Prensa survey.
Why does it matter? The appeal of his sentence gives him enough time to run in the 2024 elections and avoid serving 10 years in prison. Condemning an elected president would mean a major social crisis for Panama, especially with Martinelli’s great popularity.
A hypothetical victory for RM would represent a problem for relations between Panama and the United States, which has implemented sanctions and restrictions against the former president.
Martinelli’s candidacy joins an extensive list of critical leaders of the system in Latin America, highly valued for the results during his administration, despite his involvement in multiple cases of corruption.
This shows something important about voters’ priorities: discontent with corruption dissolves when rulers respond with efficient policies that improve their quality of life.
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