This fall has seen unprecedented protests in Panama, after President Laurentino Cortizo signed an antidemocratic electoral reform into law. In a country whose population numbers little over 4 million, up to five thousand people took to the streets to denounce a government move that limits press freedoms during campaign season, weakens independent candidacies, and rejects gender parity.

Liberal activist Aurelio Barría — an executive for Motta International, one of the country’s biggest business conglomerates — told the Associated Press, “Many of us gathering here have been adversaries in the past but today we’re on the same struggle to restore democracy.” Yet despite their all-embracing “pro-democracy” messaging, the protests inevitably pointed to real political divides.

The loudest voice rejecting Cortizo’s reforms has been a Panamanian “civil society,” including figures like Barría, composed mainly of NGOs with connections to the United States and Panamanian economic elites. They’ve called “citizen vigils,” where regular people marched next to real estate moguls, businessmen, financial consultants, and opposition leaders. Even the president of the Chamber of Commerce attended, explaining his presence to reporters by emphasizing how important strong institutions are for attracting foreign investment. The intense media coverage of the rallies included live drone transmissions and supportive front-page headlines, warning that Panamanian democracy was on the brink — and that only rejecting these reforms could save it.