Panama - 01/01/2024 - Local level

• Political participation will be governed by the principle of parity and equal participation of women and men in internal and general electoral processes for the composition, both in internal organic structures and in the nominations for popularly elected positions of the political parties, as well as of the parties in formation, regarding the nominations of delegates for the congresses or constituent conventions. Every nomination of [male] pre-candidates and [female] pre-candidates, [male] and [female] candidates will be composed according to the principle of one gender, accompanied by an alternate of the other gender. The political parties will nominate 50% women and 50% men in the total of the main positions of deputies, mayors, representatives of townships and councilors, corresponding to each province. In cases where female participation, verified by the party's Secretariat for Women, is lower than the expectation for parity and participation established in this article, political parties may complete it with other aspiring candidates for the respective positions. (Electoral Code, article 373)
• The memoranda for the formalization of complementary applications, will be presented personally by the president of the competent body to make the application, by the legal representative of the party or the persons previously authorized for this purpose, before the National Directorate of Electoral Organization, in the case of the presidential candidacy, and, for the other positions, before the respective regional electoral organization directorate. If it advises that it does not comply with any of the legal requirements, it will be returned to the interested party and the omissions will be pointed out, by means of a resolution, in order for them to be corrected within a non-extendable period of five business days if the term for presenting the applications has already expired. The rejection resolution will be appealable before the electoral administrative courts, except in the case of the presidential candidate list and deputies to the Central American Parliament, whose appeal will be filed before the Plenary of the Electoral Court, within the following three business days. (Electoral Code, article 360)