There was some speculation that the presidential election in Panama would affect the push for the FTA that the Bush administration negotiated with the country.  If the left of center candidate won, their new administration would likely be less supportive of the trade agreement with the U.S. 

But the conservative, Ricardo Martinelli, won.  The conservatives there are deemed to want the Panama FTA.  So we need to be ready in this country, because Ron Kirk has said that the administration will seek Congressional approval.  Here is the article.

Ricardo Martinelli, a multimillionaire supermarket chain owner, won Panama’s presidential election on Sunday, defying a trend of left-wing political victories in Latin America.