Bill 699 clears first debate with tougher paths for independents and new parties

Expats do not vote in Panama's general elections, but they live inside the confidence those rules create. When the business chamber says election law is being rewritten in a rush, that is a residency and investment-climate story, not only a party fight.

Proyecto de Ley 699, built from the Tribunal Electoral process around the Comisión Nacional de Reformas Electorales, opened committee debate in mid-September. On the night of 23 September 2026, the Assembly's Comisión de Gobierno, Justicia y Asuntos Constitucionales approved it in first debate, with Vamos deputies Alexandra Brenes and Walkiria Chandler opposing (TVN). The text then heads to the plenary for second and third debate. It is not law yet.

What the first-debate rewrite touched

TVN's reporting on the committee text describes a package of about 48 deputy proposals (roughly 29 modifications, five new articles, 14 deletions). Among the most contested points across TVN, Telemetro, Eco TV, and EFE/Infobae:

Libre postulación: more signatures required, with a shorter collection window.
New parties: higher adherent thresholds; related changes to how party formation is structured (coverage also notes elimination of the "iniciadores" figure in the rewrite).
Private campaign finance: higher private-finance ceiling language in the modified text.
Dual office titularidad: a person elected to two popular offices could keep titularidad of both for the constitutional term, but would not exercise them at the same time. Within five business days of proclamation, they would tell the Tribunal which office they will exercise first and request leave from the other (TVN quoting the modified article). Critics call this a step back from earlier limits; do not simplify it as "two salaries at once."

EFE/Infobae, citing CCIAP, also slammed a first-debate process that introduced nearly fifty changes "between intentional hurry, opacity, and the dark of night."

Why Sunday's business reaction matters

On 27 September 2026, CCIAP president Aurelio Barría Pino (Telemetro / Eco TV) and related business messaging (APEDE coverage the same day) asked that second debate be used to review substantial changes, hear the Tribunal Electoral, civil society, and guilds, and avoid rules that unjustifiably restrict participation or tilt competition. CCIAP says it accepts the Assembly's power to amend bills, but argues election rules born from a long multi-sector table should not be rewritten without daylight deliberation. Infobae/EFE summarizes the private sector ask as a correction of changes they see as serving "particular interests of a few politicians."

Second-debate timing on the plenary calendar was not locked in the sources reviewed for this pack. Watch the Assembly agenda.

What this is not

Not a finished Electoral Code.
Not advice on whom to support in 2029.
Not a claim that foreign residents gain or lose a vote (they do not gain one from this bill).

Bottom line for expats: Panama's openness pitch to investors and long-stay residents rides on predictable institutions. A rushed rewrite of who can run, how parties form, and how money enters campaigns is worth watching before second debate, even if you will never cast a ballot here.

Based on TVN (23 Sep), Telemetro/Eco TV (27 Sep), and Infobae/EFE (27 Sep). First debate only; text can change.

Key points

PL 699 1st debate OK 23 Sep (TVN); not law
Contested mods: libre postulación signatures/time; party thresholds; private finance; dual-office titularidad (not simultaneous exercise)
CCIAP 27 Sep asks daylight 2nd-debate review; APEDE same-day concern coverage
~48 deputy proposals in committee rewrite (TVN); EFE/CCIAP "almost fifty" changes
2nd-debate plenary date not locked in sources reviewed

Sources

https://www.tvn-2.com/nacionales/reformas-electorales-pasan-primer-debate-libre-postulacion-doble-eleccion_1_2262514.html
https://www.tvn-2.com/nacionales/reformas-electorales-cambios-proponen-diputados-elecciones-2029-asamblea_1_2262711.html
https://www.telemetro.com/nacionales/reformas-electorales-cciap-pide-revisar-cambios-al-codigo-electoral-segundo-debate-n6093179
https://www.ecotvpanama.com/politica/cciap-pide-transparencia-y-mayor-deliberacion-reformas-al-codigo-electoral-n6093147
https://www.infobae.com/america/agencias/2026/09/27/empresarios-piden-al-parlamento-de-panama-rectificar-los-cambios-a-una-reforma-electoral/
https://www.critica.com.pa/nacional/apede-cuestiona-reformas-electorales-y-pide-no-imponer-posiciones-517082