What Happened
Vamos, the largest bloc in Panama’s National Assembly, presented its legislative balance for the latest session during a press conference at the Carlos Titi Alvarado room in the legislature. The group reviewed bills already advanced, proposals still pending, and the political challenges it expects to face when the Assembly renews its leadership on July 1.
Bancada chief Roberto Zúñiga said the bloc has filed 147 draft bills, or more than 290 if proposals carried over from the previous session are included. He added that 48 initiatives have reached second debate, 11 have become national laws, and seven bills have already passed third debate and are awaiting the president’s signature. He also said the bloc has maintained more than 95% attendance in the plenary and committee meetings.
Committee Work and Legislative Priorities
Members who preside over key committees joined the presentation, including Alexandra Brenes of the Women’s Committee, Walkiria Chandler of Foreign Affairs, Eduardo Gaitán of Economy and Finance, Lenín Ulate of Population and Environment, and Jorge Bloise of Education. Each outlined the work carried out in their respective committees and the main initiatives under review.
Vamos framed the presentation as a show of legislative productivity and internal coordination. Zúñiga said transparency and accountability to citizens were central goals for the bloc, and he argued that the group has worked to influence national change through its committee leadership and bill management.
The July 1 Leadership Test
The upcoming July 1 vote for new Assembly leadership is shaping up as the bloc’s next major political test. Zúñiga recalled that Vamos supported Jorge Herrera for president of the legislature on July 1, 2025, but said the bloc has not yet decided whether it will present its own candidate or seek another political arrangement.
He said that decision will be evaluated closer to the date. For Vamos, the vote will be more than a procedural matter: it will help define the bloc’s influence in the next legislative cycle and its ability to negotiate with other forces inside the chamber.
The Clash Over Salaries
The press conference also highlighted a dispute with Comptroller Anel Flores over the retention of salaries for 43 workers assigned to the offices of eight Vamos deputies. The bloc calls the measure arbitrary and is demanding immediate payment of the withheld wages.
Zúñiga said the affected employees continue working despite the uncertainty surrounding their pay. He argued that the labor arrangement has legal backing that predates the current administration and said the workers should not be caught in the middle of the conflict.
He also called on Assembly President Jorge Herrera to intervene. Herrera, however, has pointed to a certification from the Assembly’s Human Resources Directorate stating that no unpaid leave has been processed or authorized for the employees in question, and that there is no internal administrative action supporting the salary measure.
No Channel With the Executive Branch
Zúñiga also said there is no communication channel between Vamos and the Executive Branch. He stated that he has had no contact with the government and that the bloc has not received any invitation from President José Raúl Mulino for a meeting.
Mulino has recently met with the Realizing Goals and Democratic Revolutionary Party blocs, but Vamos has not been included in those talks. That leaves the independent bloc outside the current round of executive-legislative contacts as it weighs its next moves ahead of the Assembly’s leadership renewal.