Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Modern Woes
After Noriega's forced removal, Guillermo Endara, the legitimate winner of the 1989
election, was sworn in as president, and Panama attempted to put itself back together.
The country's image and economy were in shambles, and its capital had suffered damage
not only from the invasion itself, but from widespread looting that followed. Corruption
scandals and internal fighting were rampant during the Endara administration. There was
19% unemployment and a deep disconnect with the country's significant poor popula-
tion, as his administration was peopled by wealthy businessmen. By the time he was
voted out of office in 1994, he was suffering from single-digit approval ratings.
In the 1994 elections, the fairest in recent Panamanian history, Ernesto Pérez Bal-
ladares came into office. Under his direction, the Panamanian government implemented a
program of privatization that focused on infrastructure improvements, health care and
education. Although Pérez Balladares allocated unprecedented levels of funding, he was
viewed as corrupt. In the spring of 1999, voters rejected his attempt to change constitu-
tional limits barring a president from serving two consecutive terms.
In 1999 Mireya Moscoso, the widow of popular former president Arnulfo Arias,
Panama's first female leader and head of the conservative Arnulfista Party (PA), took of-
fice. Moscoso's ambitious plans for reform were not realized. As Panama celebrated its
centenary in 2003, unemployment rose to 18%. Moscoso was accused of wasteful spend-
ing - as parts of the country went without food, she paid US$10 million to bring the Miss
Universe pageant to Panama. She was also accused of looking the other way during Co-
lombian military incursions into the Darién. She left office in 2004 after failing to fulfill
even a single campaign promise.
She was followed by Martín Torrijos, a member of the Revolutionary Democratic
Party (PRD) and the son of former leader Omar Torrijos. Although there has been much
debate regarding the successes and failures of his administration, he did implement a
number of fiscal reforms including an overhaul of the nation's social security. Further-
more, his proposal to expand the Panama Canal was overwhelmingly approved in a na-
tional referendum on October 22, 2006.
Learn how one company's tropical meddling 'set the template for capiltalism' in
Bana-
nas: How the United Fruit Company Shaped the World,
by Peter Chapman.
Current Panama
On May 3, 2009, Panama bucked the Latin American leftist trend by electing conservat-
ive supermarket magnate Ricardo Martinelli president. Part of the conservative party
