Nearly 80 percent of Panamanians plan to vote for a proposal to expand the Panama Canal, according to a poll published Wednesday, the last day surveys can legally be reported ahead of a referendum.
On Oct. 22, Panamanians will decide on the US$5.25 billion proposal to add a third set of locks to the canal to accommodate larger container ships and reduce the long lines of ships waiting to cross. Opponents say the expansion is expensive for a poor nation and will be environmentally damaging.