binet

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea
Legislativa)

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema
de Justicia) currently being reorganized

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State and Head of Government--President Guillermo ENDARA
(since 20 December 1989, elected 7 May 1989);
First Vice President Ricardo ARIAS Calderon (since 20 December 1989,
elected 7 May 1989);
Second Vice President Guillermo FORD (since 20 December 1989,
elected 7 May 1989)

_#_Political parties and leaders:

government alliance--Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement
(MOLIRENA), Alfredo RAMIREZ;
Authentic Liberal Party (PLA);
Arnulfista Party (PA), Francisco ARTOLA;

opposition parties--Christian Democratic Party (PDC),
Ricardo ARIAS Calderon;
Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD, ex-official government party),
Gerardo GONZALEZ;
Agrarian Labor Party (PALA), Carlos ELETA Almaran;
Liberal Party (PL);
People's Party (PdP, Soviet-oriented Communist party), Ruben DARIO
Sousa Batista;
Democratic Workers Party (PDT, leftist), Eduardo RIOS;
National Action Party (PAN, rightist);
Popular Action Party (PAPO), Carlos Ivan ZUNIGA;
Socialist Workers Party (PST, leftist), Jose CAMBRA;
Revolutionary Workers Party (PRT, leftist), Graciela DIXON

_#_Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18

_#_Elections:

President--last held on 7 May 1989, annulled but later upheld
(next to be held May 1994);
results--anti-NORIEGA coalition believed to have won about 75% of the
total votes cast;

Legislative Assembly--last held on 27 January 1991 (next to
be held May 1994);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(67 total) progovernment parties--PDC 28, MOLIRENA 16,
PA 6, PLA 5;

opposition parties--PRD 10, PALA 1, PL 1;
note--the PDC went into opposition after President Guillermo ENDARA
ousted the PDC from the coalition government in April 1991

_#_Communists: People's Party (PdP), pro-Soviet mainline Communist
party, did not obtain the necessary 3% of the total vote in the
1984 election to retain its legal status; about 3,000 members

_#_Other political or pressure groups: National Council of Organized
Workers (CONATO); National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP);
Panamanian Association of Business Executives (APEDE); National Civic
Crusade; National Committee for the Right to Life

_#_Member of: AG (associate), CG, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO