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PANAMA CANAL EXPANSION APPROVED IN HEAVILY CRITICIZED REFERENDUM.

Article Excerpt
Surprisingly few Panamanians turned out to vote on a referendum that would permit a vast expansion of the Panama Canal, but those who did voted overwhelmingly in favor of the project. The expansion is needed to accommodate larger vessels that are too big to pass through the ditch as it is presently configured and to double the capacity of the now-congested facility. The price tag on the project is estimated at US$5.25 billion. Only 40% of the electorate turned out, but more than 80% of those who turned out voted yes to the proposal. The referendum is mandated by the country's Constitution.

This will be the largest modernization in the canal's 92 years of existence and is the second-largest works program in the nation's history. The first was the original canal. The overhaul will begin next year. It will double the canal's capacity by adding a third set of locks that are 40% longer and 60% wider than the current ones. Completion is set for the year 2014.

The vote marks the end of a hard-fought battle upon which President Martin Torrijos staked his reputation and his political future. The cost of the campaign was a staggering US$1.8 billion.

Opposition was fierce and came from several quarters. From the Universidad de Panama, Professor Miguel Antonio Bernal spoke to one of the issues. "The lack of democracy was evident from the moment in which the Si and the...

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