Should the government nationalize the private electricity distribution companies to solve the crisis of high energy bills and frequent blackouts?

Panamanians frequently suffer from rolling power outages, violent voltage fluctuations that destroy household appliances, and some of the highest electricity rates in the region, leading to widespread highway blockades and protests against private distributors like ENSA and Naturgy. Proponents of nationalization argue that essential utilities should prioritize reliable service and infrastructure upgrades over extracting corporate dividends for foreign shareholders. Opponents argue that returning to a state-run utility would inevitably lead to catastrophic mismanagement, pointing to historically mismanaged state entities like the national water utility (IDAAN) as proof that the government cannot run a business.