Alfredo Juncá was elected as a magistrate of the Supreme Electoral Court (TE) on January 3, 2017, replacing Erasmo Pinilla. The application phase for selecting the magistrate took place at the General Secretariat of the Assembly from Monday, April 6, to Friday, April 10. Before the deadline for submitting documents, a preliminary list of candidates was made public. In addition to Juncá, it includes Ramón Abadi Balid, Dilia Estela Cornejo Meneses, Garrit Hermando Genetau Real, Roberto Neyrot Ruíz Díaz, Gilberto Enrique Estrada De Icaza, Edwin Alberto Medina Domínguez, Jaime Miguel Barroso Pinto, Raúl Horacio Gutiérrez Flores, Cristina María Torres Ubillús, Javier Humberto Ordinola Bernal, Jacob Carrera Spooner, Maritza Cedeño Vásquez, and Ceila Ivet Peñalba Ordóñez. It is worth noting that Roberto Ruiz Díaz, who was elected as Vice Mayor of Panama City (currently on leave), and Jaime Barroso Pinto, who is considered the favorite to win according to legislative sources, are also running for the position. Similarly, Gilberto Enrique Estrada, who is currently Juncá's substitute; Javier Ordinola and Ceila Ivet Peñalba, both Assembly officials, have also presented their candidacies. Likewise, Maritza Cedeño Vásquez, the current President of the Panama Bar Association, has also submitted her candidacy. According to the rules approved by the Assembly plenary for this call, on the next business day after the registration deadline, the General Secretariat will make the official list of candidates for the main and substitute magistrate positions available to deputies. It will also forward the corresponding documentation to the Credentials Committee. It is likely that the interview period with the Credentials Committee will begin next week. The period for submitting documentation for those aspiring to the position of magistrate of the Supreme Electoral Court (TE) closed this Friday, April 10, and it has been reported that 14 people are vying for the position, including Alfredo Juncá, who is seeking re-election. By constitutional mandate, the National Assembly is responsible for appointing one of the three magistrates who make up the Supreme Electoral Court; the Executive Branch appoints another, and the Judicial Branch appoints the third. This year, the 10-year term of magistrate Alfredo Juncá, a former member of the Panameñista Party and a former official of the National Assembly until September 2016, has expired.
