I now understand more clearly than I ever had before why you won in November 1980 and I lost.

We didn't understand clearly enough the feeling of many Panamanians that the arrangement implied an element of colonialism and subjugation and not an equal representation of leaders from two sovereign countries, ... This created a need for later presidents to address the controversy.

I think they have to do something prior to November 2006, to show they understand they have overspent and are determined to do something about it,

If I lost, so what. If I won, so what. My heart's not in it, but what else would I be doing?

We lost everything. We even won our own constituency.

Production, exports and consumption clearly began to perk up since November last year.