Page 304 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

302 CONTEXTS History
The dawn of the twenty-first century
In an interesting twist, the presidential elections of 1999 were contested between
Martín Torrijos, illegitimate son of the former military ruler, and the widow of Arnulfo
Arias (the man Torrijos ousted in 1968), Mireya Moscoso, who became Panama’s first
female leader. On December 31 she presided over the seamless handover of the Canal,
which is now efficiently managed by the independent Autoridad del Canal de Panamá.
The US withdrawal was a mixed blessing for Panama’s economy: many jobs disappeared
with the closure of the bases, but the valuable real estate and infrastructure Panama
inherited created investment opportunities. Still, a number of the former US buildings
lie abandoned, and relations with the US remain complex.
Moscoso’s term in office got off to a rocky start when, before the first budget vote,
she gave Cartier watches and jewellery as “Christmas presents” to the 72 members of
the legislative assembly. It set the tenor for the presidency, which was scarred with
accusations of corruption and incompetence. Her term ended in similarly controversial
fashion as she tried to push through construction of a tarred road linking Boquete and
Cerro Punta through the national park of Volcán Barú. Opposition to the outrageous
plan successfully united numerous national and international environmental groups
and became a major election issue allowing Martín Torrijos, heading the PRD, to
become president.
Though Torrijos junior was elected on a platform of “zero corruption” it did not take
long before scandals started to emerge; nor was his administration’s record on the
environment particularly memorable, approving countless hydroelectric projects in
Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro provinces with scant environmental assessment studies
and little negotiation with the indigenous populations most affected. He did, however,
help to tighten measures against drug trafficking and money laundering. And in his
biggest gamble, he green-lighted the Canal expansion project (see box opposite).

To the present day
The elections in May 2009 broke the political stranglehold that the PRD and PP had
enjoyed for the previous seventy years as conservative multimillionaire supermarket
magnate Ricardo Martinelli swept to power. Head of the new Cambio Democrático
(Democratic Change) party, he immediately launched popular initiatives, increasing
the minimum wage, establishing pensions and ensuring free books and uniforms for
school children. Panama enjoyed sustained economic growth – though the gap between
the “haves” and “have-nots” continued to increase – and the government spent a
staggering $20 billion on roads, schools and bridges across the country. In the capital
countless skyscrapers sprang up, the new Metrobus and metro systems were established
and the Cinta Costera – an ambitious land reclamation project – was extended,
including a highly controversial ring-road round Casco Viejo.
However, as with Martinelli’s predecessors, corruption scandals flourished and his
increasingly autocratic ruling style, curtailment of the press and overuse of police force –
especially against indigenous communities – provoked much criticism at home and
internationally. In the 2014 elections, Martinelli’s estranged vice-president, Juan Carlos
Varela, who had fallen out with his former ally after being dismissed as foreign
minister, won a surprising victory for the Partido Panameñista.

2011 2012
Silvia Carrera is elected the first female cacique of the Ngäbe. Countrywide protests by the Ngäbe and Buglé
Noriega is extradited back to Panama, after prison terms in over mining and hydroelectric concessions
the US and France, to serve another twenty years. on their land end in police violence, leaving
thousands wounded and three dead.

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