Ideology ConservatismPopulism | Founded May 20, 1998 | |
International affiliation International Democrat UnionUnion of Latin American Parties | ||
Democratic Change (Cambio Democrático) is a centre-right political party in Panama.
The party was founded on May 20, 1998, and is led by Ricardo Martinelli, owner of the Super 99 supermarket chain. At the end of 2013 the party listed more than 500,000 members, making it one of Panama's two largest parties with a membership almost equal to that of the Democratic Revolutionary Party.
In the legislative elections of May 3, 2009, the party won 23.4% of the popular vote and 14 out of 78 seats. In the presidential elections of the same year, the party leader, Ricardo Martinelli, was elected President of Panama with 59.97% of the vote.
The party's candidate for the presidential elections of 2014 was José Domingo Arias who led the opinion polls but lost to then vice-president Juan Carlos Varela of the Panameñista Party.
Platform
The party's populist platform includes the support for a strong welfare state, including monetary support programs like Cien a los Setenta for people older than 70 years and Beca Universal for schoolchildren, mixed with free-market capitalism.