What does the “Vamos” coalition represent and why does the president-elect recognize that “he is the last old man on the list”?

The young members of the independent coalition “Vamos”, the first political force with 20 seats in the new National Assembly of Panama after the elections in May, They emerge as the political opposition with the greatest weight for the government of the elected president José Raúl Mulinowho admitted during his proclamation speech that he is “the last old man left on the list.”

Mulino, who described the electoral result as “impressive”, admitted that it is “clear” to him that “things must be done well.”

“The message that Sunday, May 5, leaves us is that the political renewal of the country has begun,” said the president-elect at the beginning of his speech on May 9, in which he was visibly conciliatory.

“I think I am the last old man left on the list, because from now on it will be that youth who will have to motivate themselves to participate and win in democracy,” he stated.

Mulino “applauded” the independent bench in the legislature, whose main leaders are around 30 years old and their profiles have become increasingly noticeable based on their proposals that aim at political transparency and confronting corruption in the spheres of power.

“I believe that the question that every deputy, and also every Panamanian, should ask himself is (…) what political force should lead, at least the first year, because this is one year at a time, at least the first year of the legislative destinations,” the leader of the “Vamos” coalition, Juan Diego, 28, recently told local media.

In that sense, the young politician identified two options: “A (political force) that is anchored to the past and the methods of the past, which the president-elect himself questioned and celebrated, or a bench with a clear roadmap, with positions in favor of the country, in line with greater institutionality and that that breath of fresh air that I have been fighting and waiting for for five years can enter the (National) Assembly.

“I think the country is applauding him and that’s why he came out to vote the way he voted,” Vásquez concluded.

The National Assembly of Panama has 71 seats and will take office on July 1. In addition to the 20 legislators from “Vamos”, the body will have 3 deputies from the “Otro Camino” Movement, 14 from “Realizing Goals”, 13 from the Democratic Revolutionary Party, 8 from the Panameñista Party, 8 from “Democratic Change”, 2 from Alianza , 2 from the Popular Party and one from Molirena.

Although the figure reached by “Vamos” is high, Vásquez admitted that they do not control Congress. “Panama spoke, we are the largest bench in the National Assembly, but even so we are far from being the majority,” acknowledged the young politician on the social network X.

In fact, Vásquez, who has stated that the coalition will remain vigilant that the current deputies do their job correctly, and if they do not do so, they will collect signatures to request their dismissal, already had clashes on social networks with former president Ricardo Martinelli, who He will not govern directly but it will be his party that will take the reins of the country starting July 1.

Martinelli, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the crime of money laundering and remains asylum in the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama, said in his account on “are related” to the president-elect.

Vásquez did not take long to respond to Martinelli on the same social platform. “There is no need to dedicate time to the former president, because precisely his time has ALREADY PASSED. In desperation to remain current (…) he has to lie and invent crazy things.”

At the same time, he took the opportunity to reinforce his message against political corruption.

A message of change

In addition to Vásquez, other “Vamos” coalition leaders such as Gabriel Silva are committed to the fight against political corruption. Silva said that the new deputies have been trained to be vigilant and thoroughly supervise the government’s policies and public finances.

Silva has also stressed that the recent elections showed that it is possible to win important positions in the country with few resources and without compromising principles or making corrupt alliances.

“It is a message for the country and the world that politics in Panama is changing for the better. We have a citizenry that wants good politics, that wants things to change,” she stated.

However, Silva has said that he prefers not to use the term “opposition,” because he believes that maintaining a radical position would not be constructive.

“The concept of political opposition seems outdated to me, I think it is not what this country needs. What we expect from the ‘Vamos’ coalition is what Juan Diego (Vázquez) and I did in the Assembly, is to have criteria to differentiate what is good and what is bad. The good, support it and the bad, denounce it,” Silva argued.

Independent legislators have reiterated that they will maintain accountability, transparency, the fight against corruption, an open government, the strengthening of state institutions and the fight against poverty and social inequality among their priorities.

The boredom that change generated

consulted by the Voice of Americasociologist Danilo Toro recognized that the boredom of Panamanians with the actions of traditional political parties generated the change that guaranteed the victory of the coalition.

“’Vamos’ is a generational movement that picked up on the displeasure and rejection of young people. From there comes the enormous participation from the point of view of their interests, including the environment, corruption and education, issues that traditional politics in Panama treated as secondary,” explained the sociologist.

However, Toro recommended observing this new independent force carefully in the coming months.

Olga De Obaldía, director of the Panama chapter of the organization Transparency International, agrees that the achievement of “Vamos” is a sign of the exhaustion of the vertical and closed organization and system with which the political parties in Panama have functioned.

“These new leaders, not finding spaces that fulfill their desire for openness, transparency and the common good, went for free application and managed to capture the ideal of citizens who are also tired of this clientelistic model of authorities and officials that seem “They come to power to serve themselves and not to serve society,” said the analyst.

De Obadía identifies here a message of hope and faith in the new generations that come to occupy these spaces.

“Representing their voters and making a responsible opposition is the role that the new deputies of free nomination and of at least the Other Path Movement must fulfill to balance and counterbalance. It is true that many of them arrive for the first time, but it is also true that they will be the largest bench,” he explained.

The most voted deputy in the country

Eduardo Gaitán, candidate for deputy who received the most votes, is from the “Vamos” coalition, is 28 years old and ran for the 8-2 circuit in San Miguelito, in the province of Panama. In the 90 days that the campaign lasted, he carried out 70 works and 100 donations with less than $10,000.

“Thank you San Miguelito. Now begins the real cleaning that will be in the National Assembly,” said Gaitán, who during his campaign organized cleaning days in different places to demonstrate that you do not need to be in a popularly elected position to carry out works of benefit to citizens.

The young man received a total of about 65,948 votes and displaced the official deputy of the PRD Democratic Revolutionary Party.

“Your hopes have been placed, and for my part I do not intend to fail. I will do my best,” Gaitán promised when thanking his supporters for their support.

Are the “privileges” of Panamanian deputies shaking?

Neftalí Zamora, who won a seat in the Panamanian Assembly at 24 years of age, will be the youngest deputy in the next legislature that opens on July 1.

As part of the “Vamos” coalition, Zamora represents Panama’s new generation of political leaders and his campaign was distinguished by austerity and challenge to traditional parties.

“Among my priorities is the reduction of privileges for deputies, that will be the first step. We should not wait for it to become law, but rather begin to renounce them beforehand. “Panama in general requires sacrifice from its deputies, taking into account the amount of state spending and debt we have, in addition to constant supervision by all authorities,” he said.

The Get Out of the Nets Movement, which called for protests in 2023 and encouraged citizens to vote for independent candidates during the electoral campaign, has warned that it will remain vigilant over the actions of the new president of Panama.

“This is historic in Panama, we have never had that strength in the assembly. This fills me with happiness, because they are people who represent us and who will truly make laws for the benefit of Panama,” said Camila Aybar, one of the leaders of the Get Out of the Networks Movement, who recognizes herself as an opponent of the Mulino government.

Aybar also warned that if Mulino reactivate the mining contract with a Canadian firm which generated strong protests last year, will encounter a strong independent and anti-mining group that will not allow it.

“We young people have made history in these elections, we have dethroned dinosaurs from the mayoralties, and representatives. From the local governments, we have removed people who were of no use,” he celebrated.

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