Education
She finished studies in the National Institute and the University of Panama, where she obtained her bachelor"s degree with honours in Agronomy Engineering.
General mayor politician president
She finished studies in the National Institute and the University of Panama, where she obtained her bachelor"s degree with honours in Agronomy Engineering.
On May 3, 2009, she lost the race to the presidency of the Republic of Panama to center-right candidate Ricardo Martinelli. She also holds post-graduate studies in education. She served as Mayor of San Miguelito, congresswoman, and President of the National Assembly with the Democratic Revolutionary Party (Party of the Democratic Revolution).
As a National Assembly member in 1994, she opposed outgoing President Guillermo Endara"s granting of temporary asylum to 10,000 Haitian boat people, but supported his initiative to abolish the armed forces.
In 1996, Herrera supported President Ernesto Pérez Balladares"s bill to grant amnesty to 950 former officials of military ruler Manuel Noriega, dismissing criticism of the bill as an attempt by fractured opposition parties to find a new common cause. In the same year, she spoke out against an attempt to revive capital punishment after a wave of murders of bus and taxi drivers.
Herrera was elected as President of the National Assembly in 1994, the first woman to hold the post. She also served as chairwoman of the Parliamentary Trade Commission in 1998, calling on pharmaceutical companies to rein in rising prices or face government price controls.
In December 2000, human remains were discovered at a Panamanian National Guard base, incorrectly believed to be those of Jesús Héctor Gallego Herrera, a priest murdered during the Omar Torrijos dictatorship.
Moscoso appointed a truth commission to investigate the site and those at other bases. The commission faced opposition from the Party of the Democratic Revolution-controlled National Assembly, who slashed its funding, and from Herrera, who threatened to seek legal action against the president for its creation. The commission ultimately reported on 110 of the 148 cases it examined, concluding that the Noriega government had engaged in "torture cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment", and recommending further exhumation and investigation.
In 2001, Herrera led opposition to President Mireya Moscoso"s appointment of former Interior Minister Winston Spadafora to the Supreme Court.
The following year, National Assembly member Carlos Afu, who was being expelled from the Party of the Democratic Revolution for his vote in support of Spadafora"s nomination, accused the party of taking bribes en masse under Herrera"s leadership from the San Lorenzo consortium, a government contractor. During the presidency of Martin Torrijos (2004-2009), Herrera served as Minister of Housing.
Herrera served as the Party of the Democratic Revolution candidate for President of Panama in the 2009 election. Herrera was endorsed by Ruben Blades, a popular salsa musician who had previously run for president and served as Torrijos" Minister of Tourism, and was initially considered the favorite for the presidency.
If elected, she would have become Panama"s second female president
However, Herrera was badly damaged in the election by her "reputation as a henchwoman of General Manuel Noriega" and by the perception that she was a "Chavista", a supporter of leftist Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. Ricardo Martinelli, the candidate of the opposition coalition led by his Democratic Change party, was also helped by strong support from the business community. Former president Guillermo Endara also ran in the race, finishing a distant third.