PANAMA CITY — Panamanians began voting on Sunday, in an election that was consumed by the unfolding drama surrounding the country’s former president, despite him not being on the ballot.
As the scorching sun beat down on the normally sleepy Central American country, voters lined up outside polling stations. Eager for change after months of political turmoil and protests, Panamanians are weighing promises of economic prosperity and immigration crackdowns against a corruption scandal.
“Panama’s election will be one of the most complex in its modern history. The vote is marked by increased political fragmentation and social discontent under outgoing president Laurentino Cortizo,” said Arantza Alonso, senior analyst for the Americas at risk consulting firm Verisk Maplecroft, before polls opened.
The presidential race remained in uncertain waters until Friday morning, when Panama’s Supreme Court ruled that the leading presidential candidate, José Raúl Mulino, could run. He said he was eligible despite claims that his candidacy was not legitimate because he was not elected in the primaries.
Mulino entered the race late, replacing former president Ricardo Martinelli as candidate for the Alcançando Metas party. The fiery Martinelli was barred from running in March after being sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for money laundering.
Martinelli, a business tycoon who was president of Panama from 2009 to 2014, dominated much of the race. He campaigned for his former running mate within the walls of the Nicaraguan Embassy, where he took refuge in February after receiving political asylum. On Sunday morning, Mulino entered the Nicaraguan embassy followed by photographers and wrapped Martinelli in a big hug, calling him “brother”.
Although he lacks Martinelli’s courage, Mulino took advantage of his connection with the former president. He is rarely seen without his blue “Martinelli Mulino 2024” cap and has promised to help Martinelli if he is elected, a promise well received by the former president’s supporters.
Juan José Tinoco, a 63-year-old bus driver, was among those queuing outside a polling place in a coastal area of Panama City. Tinoco, who lives in a working-class area with small concrete houses surrounded by extravagant skyscrapers, said he planned to vote for Mulino because he was the closest thing he could get to Martinelli, adding that he made a decent amount of money during the former president’s time in power.
“We have problems with health services, education, we have trash on the streets… and corruption that never disappears,” said Tinoco. “We have money here. This is a country that has a lot of wealth, but we need a leader who is dedicated to the needs of Panama.”
Mulino promised to usher in the vibrant economy seen under Martinelli and stop migration through the Darien Gap, the dangerous jungle region that overlaps Colombia and Panama and was crossed by half a million migrants last year.
At the top of many voters’ minds were the mass anti-mining protests that roiled the country for weeks last year and the prolonged drought that effectively hampered commercial transit through the Panama Canal.
While Mulino’s message resonated with many voters tired of the political establishment in Panama, many, like 68-year-old Uber driver Emanuel Romero, agreed that the country needed change, but with someone new at the helm.
Romero’s car was painted with banners of Ricardo Lombana, a candidate who denounced corruption and sought to win the vote of young Panamanians eager for change.
“If we want to see more of the same – corruption and our country falling apart – let’s vote for the same people. I will vote for someone independent and I trust that he will do things in a better way that will save the country,” said Romero.
Mulino led the polls with around 35% of the vote, while his competitors lagged behind. Former president Martín Torrijos came in second with 15%, while former presidential candidates Rómulo Roux and Lombana got 14% and 12%, respectively, according to a March poll by the Panamian Institute of Civic Studies.
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