Mireya Moscoso Regarded the Worst Panamanian President

Prensa Latina, 30 August 2004

Panama, Aug 30 (Prensa Latina) Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso ends her mandate regarded as the worst head of state in the last 15 years in this country, since surveys showed her great unpopularity (59.1 percent), according to a poll published in this capital Monday.

This is the worst popular evaluation for a Panamanian president in the last 3 presidential mandates, according to the poll made from August 20 to 22 among 1,227 people interviewed by a firm called Dichter & Neira, and published by local newspaper La Prensa.

The poll added that Moscoso's predecessors Guillermo Endara (1989-94) and Ernesto Perez Balladares (1994-99) ended their mandates with approval of 71.8 and 52.5 percent respectively.

The study showed 37 percent of the questioned people said Moscoso's mandate was bad, 22.1 percent, very bad, 32.2 percent, good, and only 5.7 percent, excellent.

Questioned people criticized Moscoso, because she did not fight corruption head-on, and during her mandate, Panama's international relations got worse. Also, 77 percent of the questioned people want Moscoso to be investigated for corruption.

Another Panamanian newspaper, Panama America, pointed out 39 percent is against the step of Moscoso as president, 40 percent regarded it as regular, and 21 percent, good.

Moscoso, 59, leader of Conservative Arnulfista Party, will present a report on her mandate Tuesday, in her last day as President of Panama, to be substituted in the power by Martin Torrijos (Revolutionary Democratic Party), the winner of the May 2 elections in this Central American country.