Panama: Apede Criticizes Retention of 'Safety Valve' in Electoral Code

According to Apede, for the first time in over two decades of electoral reform processes, the Commission did not eliminate the so-called "safety valve" contained in Article 373 of the Electoral Code. Although there have been slight advances in the number of female candidacies in recent electoral processes, the gap remains deep, as most main candidacies continue to be held by men, while women concentrate on substitute positions. Apede makes a respectful and responsible call to review and correct the permanence of the "safety valve" in terms of parity, either in the final stage of the project or during the legislative debate that will correspond to the National Assembly. In the same way, it points out that the so-called "safety valve" allows political parties to exempt themselves from complying with the parity candidacy, 50% women and 50% men, alleging a supposed lack of female participation, certified by the women's secretariats of the parties themselves. "From Apede, we consider that maintaining this exception in force contradicts the spirit of parity incorporated into the Electoral Code and weakens the credibility of the reforms." Apede recalled that historically the Commission had advanced in strengthening the principle of parity, and it was in the National Assembly where this exception was reintroduced, weakening its application. On this occasion, however, the setback occurred from the very technical consensus body, with the abstention vote, which is equivalent to approval, from the majority of political parties and unfortunately by the representatives of the private sector guilds and the academic area. Although at this moment the Electoral Reform Commission is debating the survival of the constitutional principle of proportionality, Apede considers that it is no less important to reflect on this issue. In practice, this exception empties the principle of parity of its content and perpetuates a system that does not guarantee real equality in access to elected positions. "The country cannot normalize exceptions that prevent equitable representation," concluded. "This confirms that the current formula that allows a safety valve does not correct inequalities, it reproduces them," Apede states. Parity cannot depend on internal justifications or discretionary criteria; it must be a clear, enforceable, and verifiable rule that guarantees equitable conditions for women and men," the organization adds. The guild indicates that in Latin America, between 45% and 52% of elected women in parliaments and local governments have been achieved, compared to 21% to 23% in Panama, making it one of the few countries in the region that lags behind in this matter, despite the constant and immense efforts of the women's movement. The Panamanian Association of Business Executives (Apede) assumes with priority the effective inclusion of women in political life to defend democracy, strengthen institutionalism, and promote clear rules that guarantee a fairer, more legitimate, and more reliable citizen representation.