Cristóbal Sarmiento, Panama’s General Director of Protocol and Ceremony, was fired for sending a premature congratulatory note to Venezuelan president-elect Nicolás Maduro. The government says that Sarmiento sent the letter, bearing President Ricardo Martinelli’s unauthorized signature, before election results were official. Although Martinelli will not be attending Maduro’s inauguration, Panama’s Ambassador to Venezuela Pedro Pereira will represent.

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Independent presidential candidate Manuel Quintero Belda would like to legalize gay marriage in Panama. Belda has requested to be called “The Poet”, believes that artists in politics can transform the country through culture and is a staunch defender of the environment and national heritage. “Traditional politicians  appear real but are a big lie,” he said.…

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Deputy Foreign Minister Francisco Alvarez de Soto resigned on Wednesday. He said that his decision has nothing to do with the designation of Fernando Núñez Fábrega as the new Foreign Minister, but instead cited personal reasons for his decision and thanked President Ricardo Martinelli for his confidence. A lawyer by profession, Alvarez de Soto was appointed…

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The Department of International Revenue presented the Attorney General with 130 cases of alleged corruption over the last three years. In 2010, the Public Ministry received Supreme Court authorization to tap the phone lines of officials accused of taking bribes, giving improper exemptions and erasing accounts, among other irregularities. All of the officials who have…

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There is a new subcategory of permanent resident in Panama. The President is now empowered to grant special permanent residency to any foreigner if deemed to be in the national interest or if the foreigner is providing a service to the State. In addition to the regular immigration requirements, the applicant will need to submit…

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