1994 Panamanian general election


The Panama held a general election on 8 May 1994, electing both a new President of the Republic and a new Legislative Assembly.
Ernesto Pérez Balladares stood as a candidate for the Democratic Revolutionary Party, 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. Pérez Balladares denied the link, describing the current PRD as "diametrically opposed" to Noriega's policies. 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. He ultimately won the election with 33% of the vote, with Moscoso receiving 29% and Blades receiving 17%.
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".

Presidential election results

Legislative election

Parties and alliancesVotes/districts%Seats
United People Alliance 289,47028.01%33
Democratic Revolutionary Party 236,31922.86%30
Labor and Agrarian Party 28,1722.73%1
Republican Liberal Party 24,9792.42%2
Democratic Alliance 229,88422.24%19
Arnulfista Party 150,21714.53%14
Liberal Party 35,5163.44%2
Authentic Liberal Party 31,0453.00%2
Independent Democrat Union 13,1061.27%1
Alliance for Change '94 243,00423.51%9
National Liberal Republican Movement 116,83311.30%5
National Renewal Movement 68,5816.64%1
Civic Renewal Party 57,5905.57%3
Mother Earth Movement 99,7609.65%6
National Concertation 94,3239.12%4
Solidarity Party 67,3066.51%4
National Unity Mission Party 27,0172.61%2.61%
Christian Democratic Party 66,4116.43%1
Doctrinaire Panameñista Party 10,7201.04%0
Total valid votes1,033,572100%72
Spoilt and invalid votes58,1845.33%
Total votes/Turnout1,091,75672.81%
Registered voters1,499,451
Population2,609,000