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LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

A daily publication Of the dialogue

November 16, 2023

What Is at the Root of Anti-Mining Protests in Panama?

Demonstrators in Panama have taken to the streets for weeks over a major copper ,mining project. // Photo: Panamanian Government.

Q

  • Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo on Nov. 3 signed into law an indefinite moratorium on new mining concessions following weeks of protest over a contract that was granted to Minera Panamá, a local subsidiary of Canadian mining company First Quantum. The new law also prohibits the renewal of existing concessions, but it still allows Minera Panamá to operate the copper mine in Colón province for 20 years, with a potential extension for another 20 years. What concerns are at the root of the protests? How well has Cortizo’s administration navigated the public pressure brought on by the controversy and demonstrations? What will the moratorium mean for business interests and the mining sector in Panama as well as for the country’s economy?

A

Joaquín Jácome Diez, partner at Jácome & Jácome: “What started originally as a legitimate protest against the Minera Panamá contract law—by wide sectors of the population claiming the contract was unconstitutional, abusive and harmful to the environment—evolved into a social eruption against the Cortizo administration and the National Assembly. Protesters were mostly young people summoned by social media, believing it was their patriotic duty to participate in a civilized way. Once the administration enacted a law declaring a moratorium on metallic mining in the country and Minera Panamá’s contract law was challenged before the Supreme Court, demonstrations should have had ended. According to experts in constitutional law, the Minera Panamá contract law cannot…”

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