President Mulino begins second year in office amidst a complex political situation

teleSUR English

In Panama, taxes, protests, insults and geopolitical tensions over the canal have marked the first year in office of right-wing Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino. teleSUR

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00:00And in Panama, taxes, protests, insults, and geopolitical tensions over the canal

00:04have marked the first year in office of right-wing Panamanian President José Raúl Molino.

00:09Our colleague Reka Chandiramani has all the details.

00:17Taxes, protests, insults, and geopolitical tensions over the canal.

00:21This has been the first year of the right-wing government of President Molino,

00:24who today presented a report to a divided National Assembly

00:27whose control he lost to an alliance of deputies from various opposition parties.

00:35What for us were days of hard and disciplined work focused on putting things in order

00:39and setting priorities was seen by those who for years lived comfortably off the state as a declaration of war.

00:52Molino's approval rating does not exceed 30 percent,

00:54according to a poll published by a local newspaper of the country.

00:58While Molino spoke of stability outside the legislature,

01:01teachers and workers repudiated his speech and his legacy this first year.

01:04The Panamanian people reject this government.

01:09Only 9 percent of the country approves of it,

01:12which means that 91 percent have rejected this government in less than a year,

01:16which would be a catastrophe even worse than the military dictatorship we had in the country,

01:20which still enjoyed more support than the current government.

01:22This is a government that has advanced its pro-business interests in an almost dictatorial manner, that is to say.

01:33What has escalated here is the discourse of the extreme right,

01:36the anti-rights discourse, the anti-popular discourse,

01:39that is what this year of President Molino has been.

01:41What he has done is to add salt to a wound that was already deep,

01:51widening the gaps, deepening the differences, increasing mistrust,

01:54and weakening the already fragile democratic institutions we had.

02:01Molino begins his second year in office with an assembly against him.

02:07A coalition of opposition deputies secured 37 votes for Deputy George Hererov to preside over this second term,

02:13taking the head of the chamber from the ruling party,

02:16which nominated Shirley Castaneda, lawyer for former President Ricardo Martinelli,

02:20who obtained 34 votes.

02:21For Telesur, from Ciudad de Panamá, Reca Chandiramani.

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