| Country: | Panama | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Previous Election: | 2009 Panamanian general election | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Previous Year: | 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Next Election: | 2019 Panamanian general election | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Next Year: | 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Module: |
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General elections were held in Panama on 4 May 2014.[1] Due to constitutional term limits, Incumbent President Ricardo Martinelli was ineligible for a second consecutive term. Incumbent Vice President Juan Carlos Varela of the Partido Panameñista was declared the victor with 39% of the votes.[2]
Of the 71 members of the National Assembly, 26 were elected in single-member constituencies and 45 by proportional representation in multi-member constituencies. Each district with more than 40,000 inhabitants forms a constituency. Constituencies elect one MP for every 30,000 residents and an additional representative for every fraction over 10,000.[3]
In single-member constituencies MPs are elected using the first-past-the-post system. In multi-member constituencies MPs are elected using party list proportional representation according to a double quotient; the first allocation of seats uses a simple quotient, further seats are allotted using the quotient divided by two, with any remaining seats are awarded to the parties with the greatest remainder.[3]
Seven candidates contested the election:[4]
| Poll source | Date | José Domingo Arias (CD) | Juan Carlos Navarro (PRD) | Juan Carlos Varela (Panameñista) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dichter & Neira[5] | March 2014 | 39% | 32% | 26% | |
| Ipsos | March 2014 | 33% | 31% | 26% | |
| Dichter & Neira[6] | 23 April 2014 | 35% | 30% | 32% | |
| Ipsos[7] | 23 April 2014 | 33.9% | 34.2% | 29.1% |
Although Democratic Change won 30 seats and MOLIRENA two, rival candidates in 10 of the circuits won by CD and 1 of those won by MOLIRENA said there were irregularities throughout the elections that favored the winning parties. As such, the Electoral Tribunal of Panama annulled the results in those circuits and new special elections were to be held every Sunday from 16 November 2014 to determine which candidate would win those 11 seats.
| Election Date | Circuit | Candidate | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 November 2014 | 7-1 | Carlos "Tito" Afú | Democratic Change (CD) | |
| 23 November 2014 | 2-4 | Noriel Salerno | Democratic Change (CD) | |
| 30 November 2014 | 7-2 | Mariela Vega | Democratic Change (CD) | |
| 14 December 2014 | 4-1 | Miguel Fanovich | Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement (MOLIRENA) | |
| 14 December 2014 | 4-1 | Florentino Ábrego | Panameñista Party |