Gerardo González Vernaza

Gerardo González Vernaza (April 13, 1929 – October 21, 2006) was a Panamanian politician from Veraguas Province.

Political career From 1975 to 1978, González Vernaza was the Vice President of Panama under Demetrio B. Lakas. In 1979, he helped found the Democratic Revolutionary Party of military ruler Omar Torrijos. He also opposed Endara's ultimately successful measures to abolish Panama's armed forces.

González Vernaza opposed the presence of US forces in Panama past the 1999 deadline for withdrawal set by the Torrijos-Carter Treaties for the handover of the Panama Canal. He campaigned in favor of a constitutional referendum that would have allowed President Ernesto Pérez Balladares, a fellow PRD member, to seek a second term in office, calling the measure's opponents "cockroaches and scorpions".

In 2004, González Vernaza was elected as a Panamanian representative to the Central American Parliament. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation matched an AK-47 from the attacks was found on the farm as well, while Scotland Yard and the Panamanian police did not find the AK-47 to match the bullets from the shootings. Though an arrest warrant was issued for González Pinzón shortly after the murder, he evaded arrest for more than two years, reportedly spending part of this time in Cuba. In 1995, he surrendered directly to new President Ernesto Perez Balladares on live national television, accompanied by his father. He later followed in his father's footsteps, serving two terms in the National Assembly and becoming its president despite US protest in September 2007.