Members of the judicial branch (justices) are appointed by the head of state
Panama's National Assembly is elected by proportional representation in fixed
electoral districts, so many smaller parties are represented
Sources:
http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Americas/Panama-POLITICSGOVERNMENT-AND-TAXATION.html
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pm.html
CONSTITUTION OF MEXICO
The Constitution is the supreme law in Mexico. It is considered to be the first
Constitution to include a systematic array of social rights, among which we find:
freedom of association, freedom of expression, right to access education, etc. The
Constitution is divided into two parts, the dogmatic and the organic. Within the
dogmatic part we have the individual guarantees, whereas the organic part
concerns the division of powers and the fundamental organization and functioning
of major State institutions.
Declaration of rights
Sovereignty of the nation
Separation of powers
Representative government
A federal system
Constitutional remedy
Supremacy of the State over the Church
Sources:
http://www.mexicolaw.com/LawInfo31.htm
http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/details.jsp?id=8010
https://www.oas.org/juridico/mla/en/mex/en_mex-int-text-const.pdf
CONSITUTION OF PANAMA
The Constitution of Panama was promulgated on 11 October 1972 and came into
force on the same date. It has been amended in 1978, 1983, 1993, 1994 and, last,
in 2004. Its consolidated version was published in the Official Gazette No. 25176 of
15 November 2004. The initiative to propose constitutional amendments belongs to
the National Assembly, the Cabinet Council and the Supreme Court of Justice.
The Constitution consists of a Preamble and 328 articles divided into the following
Titles: (I) The Panamanian State; (II) Panamanian citizens and foreigners; (III)
Individual and social rights and duties; (IV) Political rights; (V) The Legislative
Branch; (VI) The Executive Branch; (VII) The administration of Justice; (VIII)
Municipal and Provincial systems; (IX) Public finances; (X) National economy; (XI)
Civil servants; (XII) Security forces; (XIII) Constitutional amendment; (XIV) The
Panama Canal; (XV) Final and transitional provisions.
How laws are made?
The law of Panama is based on civil law with influences from Spanish legal tradition
and Roman law. For the first several years of its existence Panamian law depended
upon the legal code inherited from Colombia. The first Panamanian codes,
promulgated in 1917, were patterned upon those of Colombia and other Latin
American states that had earlier broken away from the Spanish Empire. Therefore,
Panama's legal heritage incorporated elements from Spain and its colonies.
Several features of Anglo-American law have also been accepted in Panama.
Habeas corpus, a feature of Anglo-American legal procedure that is not found in
many Latin American codes, has been constitutionally guaranteed in Panama.
Judicial precedent, another Anglo-American practice, has also made some headway.
Judges and magistrates usually have had little leeway in matters of procedure,
delays, and degrees of guilt.
Legislative functions of the Nation are vested in the National Assembly and consist
in issuing laws necessary for the fulfillment of the purposes of the performance
functions, of the State declared in this Constitution.
Sources:
https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Panama_2004.pdf?lang=en
https://www.oas.org/juridico/mla/en/pan/en_pan-int-des-system.pdf
http://faolex.fao.org/cgi-bin/faolex.exe?
rec_id=127522&database=faolex&search_type=link&table=result&lang=eng&form
at_name=@ERALL