Ex- president Ricardo Martinelli followed the presidential primary of the CD party he founded  from the comfortsof El Renacer  prison on Sunday, August 12,

According to Luis Eduardo Camacho, his spokesman, cheerleader and proponent of the political persecution mantra  surrounding Martinelli’s trial  for illegal spying on at least 150 people. the former leader watched on television as  party  members vote for Romulo Roux, leaving his favored candidate Raul Mulino a distant also ran.

Camacho says he visited him early: at 8:00 a.m. when they had coffee and croissants together.

"He would have liked more people to vote," said  Camacho, referring to the  32% turnout of followers that  didn’t reflect an earlier boast that Martinelli would return triumphant to Panama to be greeted by cheering crowds.

Camacho laid the blame for the poor turnout on the  CD leaders headed  by Rómulo Roux, who  organized two primaries:  the presidential and that for  the other elected offices (September 30).

Martinelli could not vote in his party's primaries because the Electoral Code says  that if you they are imprisoned and have not received a conviction; you  can only vote for President of the Republic. So

on May 5, 2019, the former president could  have support the candidate of his choice, but he wasn’t chosen.