CHARLESTON, SC, May 8: Former Republican Governor Mark Sanford made a stunning political comeback on Tuesday, rebounding from a sex scandal to beat Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch in a personality-driven election for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives that put a national spotlight on South Carolina.
Sanford yesterday regained the First Congressional District seat he held from 1995 to 2001 before serving two terms as governor, the second of which was marred when he tried to hide an affair by falsely saying that he was hiking the Appalachian Trail.
He earned 54 percent of the vote to 45 percent for Colbert Busch, a businesswoman and first-time candidate whose brother is television satirist Stephen Colbert.
“I just want to acknowledge a God not just of second chances, but third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth chances,” Sanford told cheering supporters in Mount Pleasant.
“I am one imperfect man saved by God’s grace, but one who has a conviction on the importance of doing something about the spending in Washington, D.C.,” he said.
The election, which garnered broad attention thanks to the colorful candidates, was held to fill the seat vacated by Republican Tim Scott when he was appointed to the US Senate by Governor Nikki Haley in December.
Sanford, 52, had trailed Colbert Busch, 58, by 9 points two weeks ago in a poll taken soon after revelations that his ex-wife had accused him of trespassing at her home. He said he went there to watch the football Super Bowl with one of their four sons, but the allegations prompted the National Republican Congressional Committee to drop its financial support of Sanford’s campaign. —
(AGENCIES)
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7.NI
Drought-stricken Panama orders
power rationing, closes schools
MEXICO CITY, May 8:
Panama ordered government offices and private businesses to slash their power consumption and temporarily closed schools in response to a drought that has sapped the country’s hydroelectric energy supply.
Opening hours for government offices will be reduced, while supermarkets, bars, cinemas, restaurants, casinos and other night spots would have to close between 10 p.M. And 6 a.M. From Monday to Thursday, according to a statement from the president’s office.
Private businesses in the tropical Central American nation will also be forced to cut air-conditioning use by four hours a day, beginning today. It’s unclear how long the rationing will last, though government officials say they would reconsider on Sunday how soon they could re-open schools.
Panama, one of Latin America’s fastest-growing economies, uses hydroelectric power to generate 60 per cent of its electricity.
But reservoirs are now low after months without rain.
The Panama Canal, which transports about five percent of world trade, is unaffected by the power rationing because it produces its own energy, a spokeswoman said.
The drought has killed hundreds of cattle, damaged crops, and caused some 200 million dollars in losses in Panama. The government on Tuesday declared a drought emergency in four provinces, representing about a third of the nation’s territory.
(AGENCIES)
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