May 18, 2006

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Scan) - Public support for Martín Torrijos increased this month in Panama, according to a poll by Dichter & Neira published in La Prensa. 64.4 per cent of respondents rate the performance of their president as excellent or good, up 2.9 points since April.

(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Public support for Martín Torrijos increased this month in Panama, according to a poll by Dichter & Neira published in La Prensa. 64.4 per cent of respondents rate the performance of their president as excellent or good, up 2.9 points since April.

Torrijos—the son of Omar Torrijos, an army general who ruled Panama from 1968 to 1981—won the May 2004 presidential election as a candidate for the Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD) with 47.44 per cent of the vote.

On Apr. 24, the Panama Canal's board of directors presented their expansion plan. The project will cost $5.25 billion U.S. which will be paid entirely by users through a graduated toll system. The development can only be enacted after a nationwide referendum.

On May 15, Torrijos urged voters to become informed about the situation, saying, "It is fundamental for all Panamanians to know as profoundly as possible what the expansion means, and when the time comes to vote, that they do so fully aware of what the canal entails."

Last year, the Panamanian government officially opted to "suspend" a series of proposed Social Security reforms after a series of public demonstrations against the changes.

Polling Data

How would you rate the performance of Martín Torrijos as president?

	May 2006	Apr. 2006	Jan. 2006
Excellent / Good	64.4%	61.5%	57.1%
Bad / Very Bad	30.3%	30.8%	36.1%

Source: Dichter & Neira / La Prensa
Methodology: Interviews with 1,201 Panamanian adults, conducted from May 5 to May 8, 2006. Margin of error is 2.9 per cent.