1994 Panamanian general election

General elections were held in Panama on 8 May 1994, electing both a new President of the Republic and a new Legislative Assembly.

1994 Panamanian general election

← 1989 8 May 1994 1999 →
Presidential election
Turnout	73.67% ( 13.19pp)
Nominee Ernesto Pérez Balladares Mireya Moscoso Party PRD Arnulfista Running mate Tomas Altamirano Duque Dominador Baldomero Bazán Popular vote 355,307 310,372 Percentage 33.30% 29.09%   Nominee Rubén Blades Rubén Darío Carles Party MPE [es] MOLIRENA Running mate Fernando Manfredo Guillermo Quijano Popular vote 182,405 171,192 Percentage 17.10% 16.05%
President before election Guillermo Endara Panameñista Elected President Ernesto Pérez Balladares PRD

Ernesto Pérez Balladares stood as a candidate for the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), opposing Mireya Moscoso of the Arnulfista Party and the salsa singer Rubén Blades, who was then president of the party Papa Egoro. In the 1989 general election, Pérez Balladares had served as the campaign manager for Carlos Duque, the hand-picked candidate of military ruler Manuel Noriega, and his 1994 opponents sought to emphasize his connection with Noriega, broadcasting pictures of the two together.^[1] Pérez Balladares denied the link, describing the current PRD as "diametrically opposed" to Noriega's policies.^[2] Instead, he worked to position himself as a successor to Torrijos, who was regarded as a national hero. The incumbent Arnulfista Party, meanwhile, was seen as hobbled by dissatisfaction with the perceived incompetence and corruption of Endara's government.^[2] He ultimately won the election with 33% of the vote, with Moscoso receiving 29% and Blades receiving 17%.^[3]

The PRD "also achieved an effective majority in the new National Assembly. The big surprise was not the victory of the PRD, but the nearly successful challenge of Mireya Moscoso de Gruber, the candidate of the Arnulfista Party".^[4]

Results

President

Candidate		Party or alliance			Votes	%
	Ernesto Pérez Balladares	United People Alliance		Democratic Revolutionary Party	326,095	30.57
				Labor and Agrarian Party	17,046	1.60
				Republican Liberal Party	12,166	1.14
			Total		355,307	33.30
	Mireya Moscoso	Democratic Alliance		Arnulfista Party	211,780	19.85
				Liberal Party	46,775	4.38
				Authentic Liberal Party	43,797	4.11
				Independent Democrat Union	8,020	0.75
			Total		310,372	29.09
	Rubén Blades	Mother Earth Movement [es]			182,405	17.10
	Rubén Dario Carles	Alliance for Change '94		Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement	115,478	10.82
				National Renewal Movement	32,122	3.01
				Civic Renewal Party	23,592	2.21
			Total		171,192	16.05
	Eduardo Vallarino	Christian Democratic Party			25,476	2.39
	Samuel Lewis Galindo	National Concertation		Solidarity Party	9,304	0.87
				National Unity Mission Party	9,120	0.85
			Total		18,424	1.73
	José Salvador Muñoz	Doctrinaire Panameñista Party			3,668	0.34
Total					1,066,844	100.00
Valid votes					1,066,844	96.58
Invalid/blank votes					37,734	3.42
Total votes					1,104,578	100.00
Registered voters/turnout					1,499,451	73.67
Source: Nohlen[5][6]

National Assembly

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats
	United People Alliance		Democratic Revolutionary Party	236,319	22.86	30
			Labor and Agrarian Party	28,172	2.73	1
			Republican Liberal Party	24,979	2.42	2
		Total		289,470	28.01	33
	Democratic Alliance		Arnulfista Party	150,217	14.53	14
			Liberal Party	35,516	3.44	2
			Authentic Liberal Party	31,045	3.00	2
			Independent Democrat Union	13,106	1.27	1
		Total		229,884	22.24	19
	Alliance for Change '94		Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement	116,833	11.30	5
			National Renewal Movement	68,581	6.64	1
			Civic Renewal Party	57,590	5.57	3
		Total		243,004	23.51	9
	Mother Earth Movement [es]			99,760	9.65	6
	National Concertation		Solidarity Party	67,306	6.51	4
			National Unity Mission Party	27,017	2.61	0
		Total		94,323	9.13	4
	Christian Democratic Party			66,411	6.43	1
	Doctrinaire Panameñista Party			10,720	1.04	0
Total				1,033,572	100.00	72
Valid votes				1,033,572	94.67
Invalid/blank votes				58,184	5.33
Total votes				1,091,756	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				1,499,451	72.81
Source: Nohlen[7]

References

1. Howard W. French (February 21, 1994). "Panama Journal; Democracy at Work, Under Shadow of Dictators". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
2. Douglas Farah (May 9, 1994). "Panamanians Vote in Peace, Picking Ex-Aide of Noriega; Millionaire Perez Balladares Bests Widow of Four-Time President". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
3. "Panama". University of Missouri-Saint Louis. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
4. Falcoff, Mark. The 1994 Panamanian elections: post-election report. Washington: CSIS Americas Program. 1994. Pp. 1.
5. Elections in the Americas : a data handbook / ed. by Dieter Nohlen, Vol. 1. [Oxford] [u.a.]: Oxford Univ. Press, 2005. Pp.534.
6. "VOTOS OBTENIDOS PARA CANDIDATOS POR ALIANZA Y PARTIDO POLITICO EN LA REPUBLICA, SEGUN PROVINCIA, COMARCA Y CIRCUITO ELECTORAL: ELECCIONES POPULARES PARA PRESIDENTE, DEL 8 DE MAYO DE 1994" (PDF). Electoral Tribunal. 8 May 1994.
7. Elections in the Americas : a data handbook / ed. by Dieter Nohlen, Vol. 1. [Oxford] [u.a.] : Oxford Univ. Press, 2005. Pp.528.