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Article: The election that wasn't. (Panama)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- May 13, 1989
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1989 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The election that wasn't
THE drawbridge went up on fortress Noriega when Panamanians went to the polls on Sunday, May 7th. The country's strongman, General Manuel Noriega, had believed an election would legitimise his regime, given a bit of help from false voter lists, stuffed ballot boxes and army intimidation. But the vote still went to the opposition alliance by a margin of about three to one. On May 10th, after several days of thuggery and confusion, the general declared the election null and void, blaming the opposition for the fraud his own people had organised.
Mr Jimmy Carter, in Panama for the election with an independent observer team, met the ...