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The Government and Political System in Panama

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The government of Panama is constitutional democracy, which is based on its Constitution approved in 1972 and amended in 2004. It is run through its three branches—Executive, Legislative and Judicial.

The Executive Branch has a President both as chief of state and head of government, and a vice-president directly elected by the people for a term of five years.

The Legislative Branch, which is unicameral, consists of the 74 members of the National Assembly who are elected by popular or plurality vote for a five-year term each.

The Judicial Branch has a 9-member Supreme Court appointed by the President for a 10-year term. Under the Supreme Court are tribunals, municipal courts, five superior courts, and three Courts of Appeal. The Electoral Tribunal supervises voter registration, election process, and the activities of major political parties, including the Democratic Change, Democratic Revolutionay Party, Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement, Panamaneista Party, Patriotic Union Party, and the Popular Party. Suffrage is universal with voting age limit set at a minimum of 18 years at the time of the political exercise.

The government also consists of nine subdivision provinces, five territories, three of which are governed by indigenous individuals or groups. The provinces are Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui, Cocle, Colon, Darien, Herrera, Los Santos, Panama, and Veraguas, while the indigenous territories are Kuna Yala, Embera and Ngobe Bugle. The other two territories are the Kuna de Madugandi, and Kuna de Wargandi.

Helping the government run national affairs are the Ministries of the Presidency, Government and Justice, Foreign Relations, Economy and Finance, Commerce and Industry, Health, Public Works, Education, Labor, Housing, Social Development, and Agriculture and Fisheries, which have agencies each functioning under, or attached to them.