Panamanian general election, 1936

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^[2]

Legislative election ^[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

Elections and referendums in Panama Presidential elections 1904 1908 1912 1916 1918 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1945 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1978 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 Parliamentary elections 1904 1910 1914 1918 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1945 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1978 1980 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 Referendums 1940 1977 1983 1992 1998 2006