1936 Panamanian general election

The Panama held a general election on 7 June 1936, electing both a new President of the Republic and a new National Assembly.

"Instead of supporting the candidate of his own Liberal Doctrinaire Party (Domingo Díaz Arosemena), the President Harmodio Arias Madrid supported Juan Demóstenes Arosemena Barreati, his minister of foreign relations. Arosemena continued to function as part of the administration throughout his campaign. With President Harmodio Arias as his political patron, Arosemena stuck to his controversial (and unconstitutional) candidacy. On election day, the administration distributed duplicate ‘cédulas’ (voter registration cards), destroyed ballot boxes, detained opposing members of the electoral board, and concocted ‘el paquetazo de Veraguas’. The result was a high voter turnout that exceeded all predictions – and possibilities – and brought Arosemena to the presidency despite his constitutional ineligibility."[1]

Presidential election results

Candidate	Party/Alliance	Votes	%
Juan Demóstenes Arosemena Barreati	National Coalition (CN)	41,747	46.9%
	National Revolutionary Party (PNR)	??	??
	Chiarista Liberal Party (PLCh)	??	??
	Conservative Party (PC)	??	??
Domingo Díaz Arosemena	Popular Front (FP)	39,982	44.9%
	Liberal Doctrinaire Party (PLDo)	??	??
	Liberal Renewal Party (PLR)	??	??
	Liberal Democratic Party (PLD)	??	??
	Socialist Party (PS)	??	??
Belisario Porras Barahona	United Liberal Party (PLU)	7,268	8.2%
Total valid votes		88,997	100%
Spoilt and invalid votes		??	??
Total votes/Turnout		??	??
Registered voters		??	??
Population		560,000

[2]

Legislative election

Parties and alliances	Votes/districts	%	Seats
National Coalition (CN)	??	??	18
National Revolutionary Party (PNR)	??	??	09
Chiarista Liberal Party (PLCh)	??	??	07
Conservative Party (PC)	??	??	02
Popular Front (FP)	??	??	13
Liberal Doctrinaire Party (PLDo)	??	??	08
Liberal Renewal Party (PLR)	??	??	00
Liberal Democratic Party (PLD)	??	??	04
Socialist Party (PS)	??	??	01
United Liberal (PLU)	??	??	01
Total valid votes	??	100%	32
Spoilt and invalid votes	??	??
Total votes/Turnout	??	??
Registered voters	??	??
Population	560,000

[3]

Aftermath

President Arosemena died on 16 December 1939 and was briefly succeeded by Ezequiel Fernández Jaén who was his second Vice-President while the first one, Augusto Samuel Boyd, left Washington where he was acting as Panamanian ambassador, came to Panamá.[4]

References

1. Pearcy, Thomas L. "Panama's generation of '31: patriots, praetorians, and a decade of discord." Hispanic American historical review 76, 4 (November 1996). Pp. 714.
2. The New International Year Book for the Year. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1937. Pp. 572.
3. Political Handbook of the world, 1937. New York, 1937. Pp. 144.
4. Major, John. Prize possession: the United States and the Panama Canal, 1903-1979. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1993. Pp. 261.