Labor and Agrarian Party (in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: ''Partido Laborista Agrario'', PALA) was a

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

nian right-of-center

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...

, founded in 1960. The PALA supported the

Marco Aurelio Robles Marco Aurelio Robles Méndez (8 November 1905, in Aguadulce – 14 April 1990, in Miami) was President of Panama from October 1, 1964 to September 30, 1968. He studied at the University of Panama and at the Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * ...

administration in 1964-1968. In 1968 it allied with the People's Alliance (ADP) and its candidate

David Samudio Ávila David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

. The PALA survived the period of suspension under

Omar Torrijos Omar Efraín Torrijos Herrera (February 13, 1929 – July 31, 1981) was the Commander of the Panamanian National Guard and military leader of Panama from 1968 to his death in 1981. Torrijos was never officially the president of Panama, ...

(1969–1979) and re-registered on 2 May 1979. “'' Azael Vargas (former Minister of Agriculture, Commerce and Industry), who claimed that the Labor and Agrarian Party had been hijacked, split with it to found the Authentic Labor and Agrarian Party. He then joined with industrialist Carlos Eleta Almaran, scion of one of the "20 families', to found the National Renovation Movement (MNR), which in 1982 changed its name to the Conservative Party. An attempt to join forces with the Republican Party (PR) to form the Conservative Republican Party was frustrated by the Electoral Tribunal, and Vargas and Eleta then went on to form PALA. The party mounted an expensive publicity drive and was accused of fraudulently boosting its membership figures''”. The Electoral Tribunal registered the PALA with 35000 members. Arnulfo Arias Madrid accuse PALA of fraud in obtaining their membership. “''Despite its name, and its use of the spade as its symbol, it is extremely conservative and hostile to organized labour. With backers among Panama's wealthy elite, PALA initially supported the presidential aspirations of National Guard chief Gen. Rubén Darío Paredes in 1984.''” The PALA eventually dropped him as a candidate and hacked the National Democratic Union (UNADE) and its candidate

Nicolás Ardito Barletta Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to: People Given name * Nicolas (given name) Mononym * Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer * Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer Surname Nicolas * Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...

in the 1984 election. PALA became the second most important force within UNADE, but was weakened in 1987 by a power struggle in which Carlos Eleta Almaran was ousted as party president, apparently as part of a move by the defense forces to take greater control over the party. He was succeeded as party leader by Ramon Sieiro Murgas (General

Manuel Noriega Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno (; February 11, 1934 – May 29, 2017) was a Panamanian dictator, politician and military officer who was the ''de facto'' ruler of Panama from 1983 to 1989. An authoritarian ruler who amassed a personal f ...

's brother-in-law). In 1989 it allied with the

National Liberation Coalition National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

(COLINA) and its candidate

Carlos Duque Carlos Alberto Duque Jaén (March 12, 1930 – October 31, 2014) was a Panamanian businessman and politician who was President-for-Life of Panama's Partido Revolucionario Democrático (PRD). He was a presidential candidate for the PRD in the 19 ...

, PALA was expected to be allocated 1 seat in the post-US invasion legislature in 1989. It joined the United People Alliance (APU) coalition behind official candidate

Ernesto Pérez Balladares Ernesto Pérez Balladares González-Revilla (born June 29, 1946), nicknamed ''El Toro'' ("The Bull"), is a Panamanian politician who was the President of Panama between 1994 and 1999. Educated in the United States, Pérez Balladares worked as ...

in the 1994 Panamanian general election. The PALA was abolished by the Electoral Tribunal on 15 September 1994. Electoral Tribunal

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Labor And Agrarian Party Political parties established in 1960 Defunct political parties in Panama Labour parties Defunct agrarian political parties Political parties disestablished in 1994 1994 disestablishments in Panama