THE RATIFICATION   by Panama’s National Assembly of two women nominees as Supreme  Court judges would be a great step for the Court “and for equality between men and women in our country.” said  Vice President Isabel de Saint Malo on her Twitter account.

Saint Malo also noted that "9 countries in Latin America have judicial bodies whose composition of women is 30% or more."

On Wednesday,  January 24, after a series of bruising meetings when the nominees sat through denunciations of their suitability followed by harrowing, often unrelated, questioning by some deputies,  the Credentials Commission narrowly approved the ratification of the appointment of Judges Zuleyka Moore and Ana Lucrecia Tovar.

The lawyers received the support of the ruling party. Four of the five votes in favor were issued by the Panameñistas Luis Eduardo Quirós, Adolfo Valderrama, Jorge Iván Arrocha and Jorge Alberto Rosas. While the additional vote was José Muñoz, Cambio Democrático (CD) and founder of his own party (Alianza).

The approval of Moore and Tovar,) to replace Jerónimo Mejía in the Criminal Chamber and Oydén Ortega in the Civil Chamber of the Supreme Court will be debated in a National Assembly plenary where they can expect more verbal sticks, stones and arrows.