MARRED by accusations of dirty tricks and the intervention of President Ricardo Martinelli in the campaign, Panama’s May 4, election is drawing world-wide attention despite the country’s small population.

Media articles questioning the erosion of democracy in the country, including criticism of attacks on the Electoral Tribunal; the vice-presidential candidacy of the president’s wife, seen as a Martinelli move to retain control of the country; and the lack of jhudicial independence, have appeared across North America and Europe.

  At the invitation of the Tribunal, The Carter Center will send a small high-level delegation to elections in Panama. The it will be led by two members of the Friends of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, former Colombia President Andrés Pastrana and former foreign minister of Mexico Jorge Castañeda, and will include Dr. Jennifer McCoy, director of the Americas Program at The Carter Center; Marcelo Varela-Erasheva, the program’s associate director; Ana Caridad, a program associate; and electoral expert Ricardo Valverde.
The presence of the delegation does not constitute an electoral observation,says a statement from the Centr but is rather an expression of the high interest of the international community in Panama’s democratic process.
 The delegation aims to promote and encourage the authorities and political and social actors in Panama to carry out a credible electoral process based on respect for the rule of law and democratic institutions.

The delegation was preceded by two other visits this year. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter traveled to Panama in March invited as the guest of honor to the relaunch of the Ethical Electoral Pact of the Commission of Peace and Justice and to the Episcopal Conference of Panama. Additionally, a Carter Center delegation visited in January to learn about electoral conditions leading up to the elections. The Center’s delegation met with the magistrates of the Electoral Tribunal, officials of political parties, presidential candidates and their representatives, the judges of the Supreme Court of Justice, civil society organizations, and the private sector.

The Carter Center urges all Panamanians and their institutions to abide by the constitution and the electoral law and to respect the values and principles of the Inter-American Democratic Charter.
The Friends of the Inter-American Democratic Charter group is composed of former presidents, prime ministers, cabinet ministers, and human rights leaders from the Western Hemisphere who seek to increase the visibility of the Inter-American Democratic Charter and to prevent democratic tensions from erupting into crises. The Friends visit countries to assess democratic tensions, encourage citizens and governments to make use of international resources to defend their democracies and resolve constitutional conflicts, and recommend ways for the OAS ( Organization of American States) to apply the charter in a constructive and preventative manner. The Carter Center serves as secretariat for the Friends.