Former President Laurentino Cortizo Requests To Be Sworn-In As A Parlacen Deputy
Date
10/17/2024 8:02:32 PM
(MENAFN- Newsroom Panama)
Former President of the Republic, Laurentino Cortizo, submitted a formal request to the board of directors of the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) to assume his seat as a deputy in said regional body, as is his right after concluding his presidential term. In a letter dated Monday, October 14, Cortizo recalled that, in accordance with Article 2 of the internal regulations of Parlacen and the provisions of the Constitutive Treaty, he has the right to assume a position in the Central American Parliament once his term as head of state has ended. There was a consultation with the Parlacen deputy Carlos Outten, who confirmed the information, although he described the swearing-in of the former president as“complicated,” since the selection of a new board of directors in Panama is currently in process. “I find it difficult that he will be sworn in in October, right now, since swearing-in is not a priority for Parlacen,” said Outten. It is not yet known whether the former president will travel to Guatemala, the current headquarters of Parlacen, to be sworn in or whether he will do so via Zoom. The last time anything was heard from Cortizo was on August 28, when he said that the $563 million that Minera Panamá gave to the Panamanian State in taxes and royalties“did not disappear,” but was used to promote state projects. This, after the President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, announced a week earlier that such funds do not exist. During the press conference held on Thursday, October 17, Mulino expressed his desire that for the 2029 general elections, a consensus be reached to not nominate candidates to Parlacen, which would leave the regional body without Panamanian representation. He added that one of the main obstacles is that the policy is more focused on the 20 available positions in Parlacen, along with the associated privileges and salaries, than on a critical assessment of the real value of the organization.“I deeply regret this and I would love to sign a decree removing us from Parlacén today, but I cannot do it,” he said. He said that Parlacen is of no use to the country, describing its position as“contradictory” since, although it recognizes the desire to withdraw Panama from the organization, it admits that, under the current legal and political conditions, this is not possible.
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