Panama - May 2024
José Raúl Mulino is elected President
On 5 May, Panama held elections to choose its president, members of the National Assembly, members of the Central American Parliament, mayors and other local leaders. José Raúl Mulino was elected president with the support of 34.3 per cent of voters, nearly ten percentage points ahead of second place Ricardo Lombana. Former president Martin Torrijos came in third place, while the ruling Revolutionary Democratic party (Partido Revolucionario Democrático) candidate only attained around 5.8 per cent of votes. Mulino entered the race as the candidate for the Achieving Goals (Realizando Metas) opposition party after the original candidate, former President Martinelli, was deemed ineligible for having been convicted for money laundering. Just days before the election, the Supreme Court confirmed that Mulino could run for president, denying a challenge to his eligibility for not having participated in his party’s primary process.
In Congress, independent candidates earned enough seats to become the largest group in the Legislature. According to preliminary results, 15 women were elected to the National Assembly out of 71 members (one less than in the previous legislature). Voting is mandatory but not enforced in Panama, and electoral participation was around 78 per cent (up five percentage points compared to 2019).
Sources: El Pais, Organization of American States, EFE, The Guardian
