2008 was marked by the continuation of an internal election process within political parties, which lasted long and was fought without quarter, presaging the tone of the general elections of May 2009. It has also been a special year because an unusual inflation that mobilized union members, medical associations, carriers, educators and retirees, demanding better incomes, more benefits and even price controls, to the central government. However, the country
continued to grow at rates well above the average for Latin America and recorded a significant decline in poverty and indigence. Panama from the outside may seem like a paradise, but its obvious imperfection risk further.