On a hot Sunday, Panamanian citizens waited in long lines to cast their ballots in the presidential election. The campaign leading up to the election was marked by protests and key issues such as a corruption scandal and a migration crisis in the Darién Jungle, where organized criminals extort money from migrants. The death toll in the jungle reached at least 141 in 2023.
As the votes were being counted, candidate José Raúl Mulino, representing the Realizando Metas party, had a leading position with 33% of the votes. He promised to address the issues in the Darién Jungle. In second place was Ricardo Lombana from the Movimento Outro Caminho party, with 24% of the votes, followed by former president Martín Torrijos with 16%. There were five other candidates in the running.
This election is considered one of the most complex in modern Panama history according to Arantza Alonso, a senior analyst for the Americas at Verisk Maplecroft. Just one day before the election, there was controversy when Mulino was allowed to run as a candidate despite objections from his opponents by the Supreme Court. Mulino replaced former president Ricard Martinelli who was declared ineligible and sought asylum in Nicaragua’s embassy.
Despite corruption scandals surrounding Martinelli, there is an element of gratitude among Panamanian voters for his economic results during his presidency. As they wait for election outcome with anticipation hoping for positive change in leadership.