Last-minute candidate Jose Raul Mulino wins Panama presidential election

Jose Raul Mulino, who replaced former President Ricardo Martinelli in Panama's presidential election, announced an unofficial campaign call on the night of May 5 after his three closest rivals conceded. He was expected to become the new leader of the Central American country.

The 64-year-old former security minister won nearly 35% of the vote with more than 92% of votes counted, giving him a nine-point lead over his closest competitor.

Mr. Mulino replaced Mr. Martinelli as a candidate after the former leader of the firebrand was barred from running after being sentenced to 10 years in prison for money laundering.

“Mission accomplished,” Mulino told the crowd, adding an expletive. “This is probably the most important day of my life, and the greatest responsibility as a Panamanian to guide the destiny of my country rests on me and my family.”

“When you invited me to be your vice president, I never imagined something like this would happen,” he said, nodding to Martinelli during his speech.

Mr. Mulino, a politician with little charisma, was campaigning while Mr. Martinelli was staying at the Nicaraguan embassy where he had applied for asylum, citing Martinelli's popularity and the economic boom seen under the previous leader. I took advantage of it.

Now, after one of the most tumultuous elections in Panama's recent history, Mr. Mulino is trying to become the new leader of a country with pressing challenges and simmering discontent. .

The president will grapple with the economic impact of a slowing economy, historic levels of immigration, a drought that has crippled traffic in the Panama Canal, and last year's massive anti-mining protests.

“This is a very strange situation and unprecedented. I have never seen a situation like this, not only in Panama but also in other Latin American countries that I can think of,” said the senior researcher at the Inter-American Dialogue. Michael Shifter said. “Panama is going through turbulent times.”

Preliminary results show that more than 77% of eligible voters cast their ballots, a historic turnout in a country where voting is not compulsory and further underscoring the election's importance in the minds of Panamanians. Ta.

Panama does not have a runoff system, so the candidate with the most votes wins.

Mulino ran under the Achievement Party and the Alliance Party, facing off against second-place anti-corruption candidate Ricardo Lombana, former president Martín Torrijos and former candidate Romulo Ruu.

All three conceded on the night of May 5, and outgoing President Laurentino Cortizo's office announced that he had called Mulino to congratulate him and pledge to work together toward an orderly transition of power. did.

Mulino's bond with Martinelli seemed to pull him across the finish line. Mr. Mulino ran on a promise to bring about a new wave of economic prosperity and stop migration through the Darién Gap, a dangerous jungle region between Colombia and Panama that was crossed by half a million migrants last year.

The lawyer also vowed to help allies in legal matters. After the May 5 vote, Mulino wandered into the Nicaraguan embassy, ​​followed by photographers, wrapped Martinelli in a big hug and said, “Brother, we're going to win!”

Less than half way through the vote counting, supporters of Mr. Mulino's campaign headquarters celebrated by singing and waving flags.

Mr Martinelli posted a blurry photo of his face on social media platform X and wrote: “This is the face of a happy and contented man.” Now that Mulino is in office, what remains unclear is whether the president-elect will become “Martinelli's puppet” or carve his own path, Schifter said.

Despite being fed up with Panama's endemic corruption, many voters like Juan José Tinoco have supported the strong economy seen during his presidency, troubling their former leader. tried to ignore other corruption scandals. The 63-year-old bus driver voted for Mulino from a working-class neighborhood of small concrete houses surrounded by luxury high-rises.

“We have problems with health services, we have problems with education, we have trash on the streets, and we have corruption that will never go away,” Tinoco said. “There's money here. This country has a lot of wealth, but we need leaders who are committed to Panama's needs.”

The presidential election remained uncertain until the morning of May 3, when the Panama Supreme Court ruled that Mulino could run. He qualified despite allegations that his candidacy was invalid because he did not win the primary.

Mulino faces an uphill battle ahead, especially on the financial front. Last year, the Central American country was rocked by weeks of large-scale anti-government protests, sparking deeper discontent among its people.

The protests have targeted government contracts with copper mines, which critics say are endangering the environment and water at a time when a severe drought has effectively blocked trade shipments through the Panama Canal. ing.

Many celebrated when the Supreme Court declared the deal unconstitutional in November, but the mine closures and reduced canal traffic will leave Panama's new leaders in a bind.

Meanwhile, Mr. Schifter of the Inter-American Dialogue said that with the country's debt soaring and large parts of the economy slowing down, it would be even more difficult for Mr. Mulino to normalize canal traffic and stop a surge of migrants through the Darien Gap. He said it was becoming difficult.

“Panama is in a much different time than it has been in the past 30 years,” Schifter said. Mulino “will face formidable obstacles, which means it will be a daunting task for him.”