Panamá's Election Court has set the date for the nation's next general elections: Panamánians will elect the country's next president on May 3, 2009.

From now until then, the nation will see voter registration drives that will end by April 30, 2008; a drum up of registrations for the supporters of Independent candidates; a November 2 deadline for public officials who want to leave office; and, in general, presidential campaigning that will only end on April 9, 2009.

A recent hit song by reggaeton artist DJ Black has summed up political campaigning in Panamá. In his song, "Xuxa de Su Madre" DJ Black expresses a sense of the hopelessness Panamánians have come to feel with the start of a new election season.

DJ Black sums up the political campaign season in Panamá in his song, "Xuxa de Su Madre."

On his album, "Sencillos y Otras", DJ Black speaks in frank language about how politicians affect the lives of Panamánians: In translation, "Xuxa de Su Madre" (or in English, the "M-----F-----") asserts that:

"This is the song of the MF, it's dedicated to the MFs, so that it sounds like a MF, and so that it hits you like a MF....

"In this country we have a real problem with MFs, every one of us has a MF, we all work like MFs, all to receive a salary like some MF;

"And every four years there appears some MF, making promises like a MF, begging for our votes like a MF; ‘Vote for me, you MFs!'

"But there in the Assembly there are already MFs, they don't do anything for us MFs, they forget all about us MFs, and they steal the nations' wealth - the MFs."

Most references to the song leave out the MF, and just term it DJ Black's "... de Su Madre." The song was obviously considered offensive when played on the airwaves. But as community leaders and local politicians began to speak out about the song and the media began to denounce it, "... de Su Madre" became more popular - the various videos of the song that have been posted on youtube.com have more than 100 thousand views.

"Of course this song is offensive," one Panamánian commented on a local website: "Still, the song is direct and to the point and in the simplest and most vulgar way it tells about the Panamánian reality. Our political context is one of indifference and arrogance, frankly that's all we have had from our politicians in these post-dictatorship years. Banning the song (although just) is nothing more than trying to cover up the real problems that are oppressing the Panamánian people. JUST PAY ATTENTION TO THE LYRICS!"

In a recent interview with the site Prensa.com, DJ Black promised to make more social message songs like "... de Su Madre."

"Since so many people liked it, I want to make more songs that speak about the reality of life in the country," he said. "As Panamánians we need to create an awareness about what's going on because we live in a very unbalanced society. We need more justice for the poor and I can help to achieve that with my songs, even if the government doesn't like it."