What Happened
Gabriel Silva, vice president of the Vamos coalition, said the independent political movement is preparing to remain active in Panama’s next elections while weighing whether it should stay a citizen-led coalition or become a political party. He argued that the country’s traditional parties see Vamos as a threat because of its anti-corruption agenda and its push for reforms in education, digital government services and bureaucracy reduction.
Silva said Vamos was born as a citizen movement and now operates with a board elected by its elected figures and key volunteers. He described the group as a young organization that began in 2024 and is still growing, with more than 200 volunteers supporting its work.
Internal Organization and Financing
According to Silva, Vamos does not have an office or major donors and depends on fundraising activities and volunteer labor. He said the coalition organizes public events in restaurants and bars, seeks donated spaces and food, and often relies on supporters to supply materials for community activities such as park cleanups and training sessions.
Silva also said Vamos does not impose voting instructions on its lawmakers. He explained that the bench meets, makes a collective decision and then each deputy decides whether to follow it in the full chamber. He said the leadership repeatedly urges the group to act as a team and avoid division.
Reform Battles in the Assembly
Silva criticized the speed of recent political appointments, including the selection process for a magistrate of the Electoral Tribunal. He said the Assembly moved too quickly to choose a replacement and argued that the process should have taken months rather than weeks. He also said the decision reflected a broader pattern of rushed and closed-door appointments in Panama.
He rejected claims that Vamos opposes everything the executive branch proposes, saying the coalition has supported roughly 80% of the initiatives sent to the Assembly. Silva said the group has helped create tension in a legislature that he described as historically compliant with the executive, because independent lawmakers are less willing to accept pressure or political favors.
What It Means for Panama’s Politics
Silva warned that traditional parties are using electoral reform discussions to weaken independent candidacies, including efforts to prevent them from running in teams or lists. He said such moves would hurt a large segment of Panamanians who are not registered with any party and would amount to an attempt to eliminate independent political competition.
He also said Vamos helped shape the current legislative balance by winning seats that forced traditional parties to negotiate more seriously. In his view, that shift has created friction, but also opened space for stronger oversight, anti-corruption proposals and greater scrutiny of public spending and appointments.
Silva’s comments show how Vamos is trying to define its next phase: either as a more structured party or as an independent force that keeps challenging Panama’s political establishment.