Reply #2: Change expected as Panama votes [View All]

Page last updated at 10:30 GMT, Sunday, 3 May 2009 11:30 UK
Change expected as Panama votes

Panamanians are voting in presidential elections, with the ruling party facing a struggle to keep power.

Colourful rightist businessman Ricardo Martinelli, standing for the Democratic Change party, is favourite to win.

Correspondents say he has tapped into the concerns of the poor by promising to get tough on crime and corruption.

He has a double-digit lead in opinion polls over his centre-left rival Balbina Herrera, of the ruling Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD).

Presidents in Panama are elected for a single, five-year term, and the incumbent, Martin Torrijos, is standing down.

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In 2006 President Torrijos won a referendum on his proposal to widen the Panama canal, and economic growth during his administration has averaged around 8.5%.

But Mr Martinelli has spent heavily on marketing, an estimated $35m, and with his wife he has crossed the country giving grants and other financial incentives to students.

More:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8031425.stm