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1952 Panamanian general election

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General elections were held in Panama on 11 May 1952, electing both a new President of the Republic and a new National Assembly.

A temporary shift in power from the civilian aristocracy to the National Police occurred immediately after World War II. Between 1948 and 1952, National Police Commander José Antonio Remón Cantera installed and removed presidents with unencumbered ease. Remón increased salaries and fringe benefits for his forces and modernized training methods and equipment; in effect, he transformed the National Police from a police into a paramilitary force. From several existing parties and factions, José Antonio Remón Cantera also organized the National Patriotic Coalition (CPN). He ran successfully as its candidate for the presidency in 1952.[1]

Results

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President

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CandidateParty or allianceVotes%
José Antonio Remón CanteraNational Patriotic CoalitionRenewal Party39,91818.72
Liberal Party33,69715.80
National Revolutionary Party28,22113.23
Authentic Revolutionary Party20,8379.77
Popular Union Party10,5524.95
Total133,22562.46
Roberto Francisco Chiari RemónCivic AllianceNational Liberal Party78,09436.61
Patriotic Front
Socialist Party
Independent Revolutionary Party
Pedro Moreno CorreaConservative Party1,9670.92
Total213,286100.00
Valid votes213,28691.99
Invalid/blank votes18,5628.01
Total votes231,848100.00
Registered voters/turnout343,35367.52
Source: Conte-Porras[2]

Parliament

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Party or allianceVotes%Seats
National Patriotic CoalitionRenewal Party11
Liberal Party11
National Revolutionary Party8
Authentic Revolutionary Party5
Popular Union Party4
Total39
Civic AllianceNational Liberal Party10
Patriotic Front1
Socialist Party1
Independent Revolutionary Party2
Total14
Conservative Party0
Total53
Registered voters/turnout343,353
Source: Political Handbook of the World[3]

Aftermath

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Remón followed national tradition by enriching himself through political office. He broke with tradition, however, by promoting social reform and economic development. His agricultural and industrial programs temporarily reduced the country's overwhelming economic dependence on the canal and the zone.[4]

The 1953 electoral reform law in effect reduced the field of political parties to lineal descendants of the old Liberals and Conservatives. The government had required parties to enroll 45,000 members to receive official recognition.[5]

Remón's reformist regime was short-lived, however. On 2 January 1955 he was machine-gunned to death at the racetrack outside Panama City. On 14 January the First Vice-President, José Ramón Guizado, was impeached for the crime and jailed, but he was never tried, and the motivation for his alleged act remained unclear. Some investigators believed that the impeachment of Guizado was a smokescreen to distract attention from others implicated in the assassination, including United States organized crime figure Lucky Luciano, dissident police officers, and both Arias families. The Second Vice-President, Ricardo Arias Espinosa (of the aristocratic Arias family), served out the remainder of the presidential term and dismantled many of Remón's reforms.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Black, Jan Knippers and Edmundo Flores. "Historical setting." Meditz, Sandra W. 1989. Panama: a country study. Washington, D.C.: Rederal Research Division, Library of Congress. Pp. 34.
  2. ^ Conte-Porras, J. Arnulfo Arias Madrid. Panamá: Litho Impresora Panamá. 1980. Pp. 255.
  3. ^ Political Handbook of the world, 1953. New York, 1953. Pp. 153.
  4. ^ Black, Jan Knippers and Edmundo Flores. "Historical setting." Meditz, Sandra W. 1989. Panama: a country study. Washington, D.C.: Rederal Research Division, Library of Congress. Pp. 34.
  5. ^ Zimbalist, Andrew and John Weeks. Panama at the crossroads: economic development and political change in the Twentieth Century. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1991. Pp. 14.
  6. ^ Black, Jan Knippers and Edmundo Flores. "Historical setting." Meditz, Sandra W. 1989. Panama: a country study. Washington, D.C.: Rederal Research Division, Library of Congress. Pp. 34.