The swearing-in ceremony of billionaire Ricardo Martinelli as Panama's new president yesterday was below-the-fold news in a Central American isthmus besieged by turmoil and crises (the major news, in fact, was that ousted Honduran president, Manuel Zelaya, had the cojones to attend the inauguration as president of Honduras).The SICA leaders who held 3 emergency sessions just a few short months ago to address the financial crises could not have imagined a worse scenario outside of the economic sphere then the period they have lived through since. From Guatemala's presidential murder mystery and Honduras' military coup, to Nicaragua's loss of international aid and yesterday's surprising suicide of the capital city's mayor, Central America may be undergoing one of its most difficult and trying moments since its peace accords some twenty years ago. All this as the region suffers through yet another brutal hurricane season, leaving the poorest of the poor to suffer the most.
Unfortunately, crises tend to breed other crises. The streets of every Central American capital are daily filled with one protest or another, and at least several accounts report injuries, and seven some deaths by the hands of both rioters and riot police.
As Martinelli sets up shop today in Panama, lets hope he continues to stay below the fold, and that cooler heads prevail in the coming months to fight the longer-term challenges in his neighborhood.
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