Ernesto Pérez Balladares González-Revilla (born June 29, 1946), nicknamed El Toro ("The Bull"),[1] is a Panamanian politician who was the President of Panama between 1994 and 1999.
Educated in the United States, Pérez Balladares worked as a banker before becoming part of the government of military ruler Omar Torrijos; in 1989, he also served as campaign manager for the pro-Manuel Noriega presidential candidate Carlos Duque.
In February 2012, Pérez Balladares was convicted of slandering comptroller Alvin Weeden by calling him a narcocriminal, and sentenced to a $3,000 fine or a year in prison.
[1][a] The opposition candidate, Guillermo Endara, was reported by international observers to be leading the vote by a 3-to-1 margin, but the results were annulled by the Noriega government before counting was complete.
[14] Other unpopular actions by Pérez Balladares included giving $35 million in back pay to Noriega's paramilitary Dignity Battalions and doubling the salaries of his cabinet despite the country's ongoing poverty.
[19] After briefly threatening to sue for libel and calling the report "journalistic terrorism", Pérez Balladares later stated that it had been correct, describing it as "the first time, perhaps in my life, that I have had to swallow my words.
"[20] When Gorriti's work visa expired the following year, however, the Panamanian government refused to renew it, triggering a storm of criticism from international press NGOs and domestic opposition parties.
Despite massive spending by the PRD, however, the proposal was defeated by a margin of almost 2 to 1, a result described by The Economist as "proving Panama's democracy more resilient than many dared suppose.
"[22] Pérez Balladares also proposed constitutional amendments to allow penalties for a domestic or foreign journalist who "incites violent protest", and to ban the wearing of military fatigues or boots.
[30] District Attorney Jose Ayu Prado announced in October 2010 that there was sufficient evidence to charge Pérez Balladares with money laundering.
This 30-year contract granted Minera Panama exclusive rights to explore, extract, exploit, process, refine, transport, sell and market copper and other precious metals within 13,600 hectares of land in Cocle province.
[34] Critics argued the lopsided deal infringed upon Panama's mineral rights sovereignty and gave away too much control over national resources to a private corporation, with little foresight into long-term impacts.
2022-234 from the National Directorate of Mineral Resources ordering Minera Panama to suspend mining activities and present a plan for safely preserving operations, in compliance with the court's judgement.
This aimed to avoid damages and remedy conditions that could cause harm to the mining project, workers, or the environment, given Minera Panama no longer has a valid concession contract after the 2017 ruling.