José Raúl Mulino, a last- second traditional candidate in Panama’s 2024 presidential race, was elected in Sunday’s standard election with a roughly ten percent lead over his closest rival.
Mulino, a 64-year-old attorney and former minister of surveillance, campaigned for the closure of Panama’s dangerous Darien Gap forest path, which thousands of migrants from South America and different parts use to enter the country. Mulino has even vowed to increase Panama’s business.
Workers, mostly from Haiti, ford the legendary Darien Gap on their voyage toward the United States on October 7, 2021, near Acandi, Colombia. ( John Moore/Getty Images )
Former president Ricardo Martinelli ( 2009-2014 ), who was prohibited from running for a new term after receiving a 10-year prison sentence on money laundering charges in 2023, ran as a stand-in candidate for the now-elected president-elect.
Martinelli, whose charm was turned down by the Panamanian Supreme Court, applied for asylum there in February and has since stayed sheltered there because local officials have hardly allowed him to leave Panama safely.
Panama’s former President Ricardo Martinelli ( AP Photo/Eric Batista, File )
On July 1, Mulino may succeed Laurentino Cortizo as chairman of the center-left for a five-year term. Because of Panama’s constitution, a president cannot been reelected for two consecutive terms, Cortizo was not able to win reelection.
With more than 98 percent of the vote tallied by Panama’s Electoral Tribunal at press day, Mulino, who ran as the participant for” Save Panama”, a partnership composed of Martinelli’s conservative Understanding Goals group and the moderate Alliance Party, obtained 34.32 percentage of the votes.
Ricardo Lombana, who ran for the Another Way Movement ( MOCA ) “green” party came in second place with 24.75 percent of the votes, while MartÃn Torrijs, of the center- right Popular Party, received 16.01 percent of the votes. The vote participation rate was estimated at 77.63 percentage.
” Mission accomplished, damn it”! At the start of his victory speech on Sunday, Mulini claimed that leading Panama would be a “gigantic job” and that the most crucial component of his powerful presidency was to connect with that “feeling and that noise of the country, who had faith in our proposal because they had the chance to escape the tunnel they had been put in over the past ten years.”
Mulino assured his sympathizers that he would promote a “pro- investment, pro- private enterprise government” but stressed that” we must not forget those who are hungry, those who need drinking water. These are very big challenges”.
The newly elected president-elect promised to work “very hard” for Panama while also attempting to lay the groundwork for” the best of people of this country for the different areas, wherever they come from, and assured his supporters that he would not be an “entertainer” or” TikTok dancer.”
Additionally, Mulino declared that he would defend freedom of speech and human rights during his administration. Mulini also used the occasion to express his gratitude to the late President Martinelli:
Friend, mission accomplished, Ricardo. When you invited me to be vice president, I did not imagine this scenario, but it was my turn, and I assumed it with enormous responsibility and humility. The Panamanian people, the immense majority that is our vote, the one I need the most, that is our strong vote.
In April, Mulino vowed that, if elected president, he would” close” down the Darien Gap and duly deport migrants in accordance with human rights provisions. However, Mulino has not provided any details about what the infamous jungle trail’s closure would entail in the press.
Luis Almagro, the organization’s head, thanked Mulino for their election victory on Sunday. Almagro said in a statement that the Central American country could count on OAS to continue expanding the agenda of democracy, human rights, security, and sustainable development.
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