(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many people in Panama would vote for former housing minister Balbina Herrera in the next presidential election, according to a poll by Dichter & Neira released by TVN Noticias and Panamá América. 38.8 per cent of respondents would support Herrera of the ruling Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD) in next year’s ballot, up 15.7 points since July.

Ricardo Martinelli of the opposition Democratic Change (CD) is second with 25.8 per cent, followed by Juan Carlos Varela of the Panameñista Party (PPA) with 16.7 per cent. Support is lower for former president Guillermo Endara of the Moral Vanguard of the Homeland (VMP).

PRD member Martín Torrijos—the son of Omar Torrijos, an army general who ruled Panama from 1968 to 1981—won the May 2004 presidential election with 47.44 per cent of the vote. Torrijos’ tenure has been marked by his support for an ambitious plan to expand the Panama Canal with an investment of $5.25 billion U.S. In October 2006, the proposal was ratified in a nationwide referendum.

On Jul. 10, Varela defeated Alberto Vallarino in the PPA’s internal primary, with 55 per cent of the vote.

On Sept. 7, Herrera was elected as the PRD’s official nominee in a primary ballot, where more than 400,000 people cast a vote. Torrijos celebrated the results, saying, "I am happy to confirm that engineer Balbina Herrera will be the presidential candidate for the May 3 election."

Polling Data

Who would you vote for in the next presidential election?

Source: Dichter & Neira / TVN Noticias / Panamá América
Methodology: Interviews with 1,200 Panamanian adults, conducted from Sept. 12 to Sept. 14, 2008. Margin of error is 2.9 per cent.

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