At stake in this election:

• 72 seats in the Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Ernesto PEREZ BALLADARES *
• Head of Government: President Ernesto PEREZ BALLADARES
• Assembly: Panama has a unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa) with 72 seats.

* The president is both the chief of state and head of government. The president may not serve for more than one consecutive term of office.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by simple majority vote to serve a 5-year term.
• In the Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa), 26 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms and 45 members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve 5-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD)
  • Leader: Martin TORRIJOS, Gerardo GONZALEZ Vernaza
  • Seats won in this election: 34
  • Seats won in last election: 30
• Party: Arnulfista Party (PA)
  • Leader: Mireya MOSCOSO
  • Seats won in this election: 18
  • Seats won in last election: 14
• Party: Christian Democratic Party (PDC)
  • Leader: Eduardo VALLARINO, Rubén AROSEMANA
  • Seats won in this election: 5
  • Seats won in last election: 1
• Party: Solidarity Party
  • Leader: Laurentino CORTIZO, Carlos CLEMENT
  • Seats won in this election: 4
  • Seats won in last election: 4
• Party: Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement (MOLIRENA)
  • Leader: Jesus ROSAS
  • Seats won in this election: 3
  • Seats won in last election: 5
• Party: National Liberal Party (PLN)
  • Leader: Raul ARANGO Gasteazoro
  • Seats won in this election: 3
  • Seats won in last election: 0

Last Legislative election:

• Legislative elections were last held on May 8, 1994 to decide 72 seats.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 2,970,193 (1999)
• Registered Voters: 1,746,989 (1999)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 1,473,131 (1999)

·         Is Panama a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (26 June 1980)

·         Has Panama ratified CEDAW: Yes (29 October 1981)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: N/A

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 7 (following the 1999 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 60 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Panama a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Panama ratified CRPD: Yes (7 August 2007)

·         Population with a disability: 445,528 (est.)