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DECRETO 12 De 21 de marzo de 2018 Que adopta el calendario electoral y reglamenta las Elecciones Generales del 5 de mayo de 2019

Votación de panameños residentes en el extranjero (RERE)

Artículo 143. Definición. El Registro de Electores Residentes en el Extranjero (RERE) es el padrón o listado de los ciudadanos panameños que residen en el exterior aptos para ejercer el sufragio en las elecciones generales.

Artículo 144. Opciones de voto. Los panameños inscritos en el RERE podrán votar solamente para presidente y vicepresidente de la República, por una de dos formas.

1. Por internet desde el exterior, siguiendo los procedimientos que se reglamentarán mediante Decreto aparte.

2. Personalmente el día de las elecciones en Panamá, en la mesa especial que el Tribunal habilitará para este fin en su sede principal en la avenida Omar Torrijos Herrera.

IFES, Elections in Panama, 2019 General Elections, Frequently Asked Questions, accessed 16 May 2019

Is out-of-country voting allowed?

In accordance with the Electoral Tribunal’s Decree 53, Panamanian citizens who reside abroad can vote to elect the president and vice president if registered in the out-of-country voter registry by April 8, 2019.

The Electoral Tribunal (TE) provided the 7,674 Panamanians registered to vote abroad the option to cast their vote via the internet from April 23-May 2. Then on May 3, the TE Electoral Voting Corporation will print the votes cast via the internet and deposit them in an acrylic ballot box in a public place until May 5. Those unable to cast their vote by May 2 can still vote in person in Panama on May 5.

Did this election allow for early voting?

For the first time in Panama, the 2019 general elections allowed citizens to exercise early voting. Early voting was available for this electoral cycle from March 8-April 8. The Panamanian Electoral Code stipulates the following eligibility requirements for early voting:

“Article 11. Citizens who are abroad on the day of general elections or popular consultations and those who are serving in the Public Force, Benemérito Fire Department of the Republic of Panama and in the National Civil Protection System, Panamanian Red Cross, as well as the electoral delegates and individuals serving in offices of the Electoral Court and the Electoral General Prosecutor’s Office, may exercise suffrage for the president through early voting.”

A total of 4,507 Panamanians were eligible to vote early for the president under this new system.