Panama
Description of Electoral System
Political Organization: Democratic and unitary representative republic. Nine provinces and two territories integrate Panama.
Form of Government: Presidential.
- National Executive Power: The President is both the chief of state and head of government. The President is elected by popular vote for five-year terms and is not eligible for immediate reelection; the President must sit out two additional terms (10 years) before becoming eligible for re-election.
- National Legislative Power: The National Assembly currently consists of 78 Representatives that serve a five-year term and are eligible for re-election. It is possible to revoke a deputy’s mandate.
Electoral System
The President of the Republic: is elected by popular vote; this is to say that the candidate that obtains the majority of the vote is declared the winner.
National Assembly Elections: A mixed voting system is utilized in which legislators from outlying rural districts are chosen on a plurality basis while districts located in more populous towns and cities elect multiple legislators by means of a proportion-based formula. On the basis of constitutional rules, the electoral organism is authorized to determine the number of districts (circuits) in each election as well as the number of contested seats in a given district. For the 2009 elections, the country was divided into 39 circuits of which 26 utilized a plurality vote and 13 utilized a proportion-based formula.
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