Flores's statements come after the legislative body proposed amending the effective date of the bill regulating the re-election of rectors to be effective 12 months after its publication in the Official Gazette. According to Deputy Grace Hernández, this would allow authorities who have already served two terms to run for another one. Deputy Luis Eduardo Camacho, for his part, expressed his rejection of the proposal, stating that voters are the ones who should decide who will hold the university's elective positions. "Re-election is not bad; the problem arises when the person in office wants to change the rules of the game to facilitate their re-election and not strengthen democracy," said Eduardo Flores, rector of the University of Panama, amid the legislative changes surrounding bill No. 83, which regulates the permanence of university authorities in their positions. Flores, through a statement, reported that on January 13, he appeared before a notary to legalize his decision not to seek an additional term as rector or participate in electoral processes after 2031. "I am in favor of re-election, but not of manipulating the regulations," he warned. Although initially, the members of the Committee on Education, Culture and Sports agreed to establish the principle of no immediate re-election to the position of rector in public universities, at the beginning of the second legislative session of the ordinary session period, they succumbed to the pressure of the plenary, introducing changes to the bill that will allow candidates not only for this position but also for dean, vice-dean, director and others to opt for an additional 5-year term, maintaining the figure they wanted to eliminate. Camacho reiterated that he will vote against this initiative, as deputies are not there to legislate on a matter that should be decided by the voters, in this case, teachers, administrative staff and students. "I will conclude my term on September 30, 2026, ten years as rector of the University, and that is enough," he pointed out. After the amendments, the document states that those who have held the position for two or more consecutive terms upon the entry into force of this law will not be able to run for or be appointed to such a position again. He assured that once his term ends, he will not accept any other authority positions within the entity.
Panama University Rector Announces Departure Amid Re-election Law Dispute
Eduardo Flores, rector of the University of Panama, announced his departure after the legislative assembly amended a bill regulating university leadership re-election. Flores condemned attempts to change the rules to facilitate re-election, while deputies remained divided on the issue.
