 |
|---|
General elections were held in Panama on May 12, 1968, electing both a new President of the Republic and a new National Assembly.
The election took place on May 12, 1968, as scheduled, and tension mounted over the succeeding eighteen days as the Election Board and the Electoral Tribunal delayed announcing the results. Finally, the Election Board declared that Arnulfo Arias had carried the election by 175,432 votes to 133,887 for David Samudio Ávila and 11,371 for Antonio González Revilla. The Electoral Tribunal, senior to the Board and still loyal to President Marco Aurelio Robles, protested, but the commander of the National Guard, Brigadier General Bolívar Vallarino, supported the conclusion of the Board despite past animosity toward Arias.[1]
Arnulfo Arias was declared the winner on May 30.[2]