6182 COHA Report, Martinelli’s “Chorizo Law” Gets Sliced but Concerns Remain Over His Past and Potential Future Machinations

Martinelli’s “Chorizo Law” Gets Sliced, but Concerns Remain Over His Past and Potential Future Machinations
• A leader without a program holds back his nation

• Looming U.S. free trade agreement with Panama has not been earned by Martinelli administration

Since Panamanian President Roberto Martinelli began to face a wave of repercussions from a recent string of controversial political maneuvers, he has tightened his grip on the nation, turned his back on democratic behavior, and silenced the press along the way. In early October, his highly disputed “Law 30,” also known as the «Chorizo Law,» was repealed in the face of ferocious national outrage and widespread political and economic pressure from abroad. The contentious—and, according to many, unconstitutional—piece of legislation left a number of critics questioning the legitimacy of Panama’s democracy. Martinelli’s strategy was to pack the major contents of nine existing measures into one all-encompassing piece of legislation. Among the existing laws replaced by the Chorizo Law were sections of the Criminal, Labor, and Judicial Codes.1 The law, which was hurriedly passed last June without due deliberation by the Panamanian Assembly, has been widely criticized for prioritizing questionable private interests over those of the public.2

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This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associates Robin Burnette and Sonja Salzburger