WITH the naming of the independent presidential candidates free of party ties in the elections on May 5, deputies from different political parties who may be feeling the pressure of the no-to-reelection campaign are lashing out.

One of them is the deputy of the official Panameñista Party  Katleen Levy, who as a rookie lawmaker has had a controversial term but quickly found the way to cookie jar breaking advertising rules, passing gifts to voters and traveling to far off places on tax-payer funded jaunts. She criticized the independent signature program  in “beer fairs"

Luis Barría another Panamenista deputy attacked irregularities found in the books of signatures of independent pre-candidates and commented that this did not occur in the inscriptions to parties because the control systems do not allow such 'aberrations'.

Cambio Democrático (CD) Sergio 'Chello' Gálvez the self-professed sexual buffalo and grand master of  constituent  bribery  and dirty tricks, claimed  that a National Assembly coup is being planned, "They want to put in  at any cost an independent president,"

Magistrates of the Electoral Tribunal (TE) said in a press conference that in "Panama it is impossible for fraud by the Electoral Tribunal." "It is irresponsible, reckless and unfortunate that some people in this country say that there is going to be fraud here," said TE President Heriberto Araúz.

From the ranks of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), San Miguelito deputy, Raúl Pineda, shared his opinion on social networks. According to Pineda the aspirants for the free postulation have spent Christmas, New Year and King's Day in their skyscrapers and not with the people.

He wrote that they are hypocrites that promote the lack of support and social assistance at a time when the Panamanian people need solidarity and that they respond to interests, businesses and the elite of economic power.

On Friday, January 11, the TE announced who are the three independents with the most validated signatures:  Independent Deputy  Ana Matilde Gómez: 131, 415 signatures, ex-legislator Marco Ameglio, with 115 024; and the Ricardo Lombana, with 108, 492.