Panama

The Panamanian nation is organized as a sovereign and independent state, whose name is the Republic of Panama. Its form of government is unitary, republican, democratic, and representative.

It comprises 9 provinces, 75 districts or municipalities, 3 indigenous regions with provincial status (Kuna Yala, Emberá, and Ngäbe Buglé), as they have one regional governor; and two regions with district status (Kuna de Madugandi and Kuna de Wargandi), bringing the total number of districts in the country to 648. The municipality is the autonomous political organization of the community established in a district. The municipal organization is democratic and has an essentially administrative character of local government.

The Legislative Body consists of a unicameral body called the National Assembly, whose members are elected by direct popular vote, as established by the Constitution. The National Assembly is composed of 71 deputies.

Each municipality has a corporation called the Municipal Council, composed of a minimum of five representatives to the National Assembly of Districts. If a district has fewer than five representatives to the Assembly, the mayor, in agreement with the representatives, shall appoint the necessary persons to complete that number, who shall only have the authority and functions of councilors. The respective mayor is also a member and presides over this body.

The President of the Republic has a five-year term, as do the deputies of the National Assembly and municipal or district authorities (mayor, deputy mayor, and councilors).

The President of the Republic is elected by relative majority. A proportional representation system is used for elections of members of the National Assembly and representatives of townships.

Open lists.

For the election of members of the National Assembly, there are single-member and multi-member constituencies, so that a single electoral constituency will comprise any district where more than one deputy is elected, except for the district of Panama, where there will be constituencies with three or more deputies. The election of mayors and district representatives is single-member, and that of councilors is multi-member.

Yes, the Electoral Code (revised in 2021) establishes in Article 373 that political participation shall be governed by the principle of parity and equal participation of women and men in internal and general electoral processes for the composition of both internal organizational structures and nominations for elected office by political parties, as well as parties in formation, with regard to the nomination of delegates or convention delegates for congresses or constituent conventions. All nominations of pre-candidates and candidates shall be composed of a principal of one gender, accompanied by an alternate of the other gender. Political parties shall nominate 50% women and 50% men for the total number of principal positions of deputies, mayors, township representatives, and councilors corresponding to each province. Furthermore, Article 71 establishes that nominations for the convention shall be made in a manner that guarantees gender parity, i.e., 50% men and 50% women. The Electoral Tribunal shall not approve nominations that do not comply with this condition.

Constitución Política de la República de Panamá 1972, reformada en 1994, y Ley núm. 106 sobre el Régimen Municipal.

The Electoral Tribunal is an autonomous and independent court, recognized as a legal entity with its own assets and the right to administer them. This court exclusively interprets and applies the Electoral Law, in addition to directing, monitoring, and supervising the registration of vital events, deaths, naturalization, and other legal events and acts related to the civil status of individuals; the issuance of personal identity cards; and the phases of the electoral process. The Electoral Tribunal has jurisdiction throughout the republic and is composed of three magistrates, who are appointed, in stages, for a period of ten years, as follows: one by the Legislative Power, another by the Executive Power, and the third by the Supreme Court of Justice, from among persons who are not part of the nominating authority. A substitute shall be appointed in the same manner for each principal.