FIGHT OVER SECURITY STRATEGY

Navarro and the PRD inner crisis

The mayor’s attacks are motivated because President Torrijos did not support him during the selection for the presidential candidate

OSIRIS JURADO AVILA
ojurado@laestrella.com.pa

There were internal meetings to define the strategy to face the problems created by the former presidential pre-candidate when he said that if the PRD loses the 2009 elections it would be because of Torrijos and his failure to put a proper security plan in place.

The first step of the crisis committee was to have a total boycott of debates on television and radio programs.

However in the opinion RPC television program “Debate Abierto”, the former president of the National Assembly and third deputy secretary of the PRD, Pedro Miguel Gonzalez, was severely critical and questioned the behavior of Navarro. He went as far as saying that he pitied Panama’s Mayor.

Late Tuesday afternoon the PRD has a strategy to follow: “ignore Navarro and weaken his political power.”

An old member of the PRD, Ramiro Chambonet said that “Navarro’s force is borrowed.”

President Torrijos also elected to ignore Navarro’s comments saying that “his declarations were made in the heat of a political campaign.”

This is the first time that a member of National Executive Council of the PRD makes a frontal attack against the general secretary that happens to be Torrijos, and the party is beginning to show the cracks.

In 2004 Navarro wanted to run for the Presidency of the Republic, but Martin Torrijos was the PRD choice, so he decided to withdraw and support him in exchange for Torrijos to return the favor in 2007.

However, Torrijos twisted Navarro’s arm and used him to put Balbina Herrera as the official candidate of the PRD.

Navarro thought that he would have another shot at the 2014 elections, but with expected reforms to the constitution that would allow Torrijos to run again, those hopes were shattered and in the Mayor’s eyes that was treason.

There are unsubstantiated rumors saying that Navarro wanted to be Balbina’s first vice-president, but he was rejected and according to opposition presidential candidate, Ricardo Martinelli that is the reason why the Mayor is launching vitriolic attacks against Torrijos’.

Publicidad