Panama is holding its presidential election on Sunday while facing a strange situation: The most prominent player in the race is not on the ballot.
Ricardo Martinelli, the former president of the Central American country who was known to his supporters as “El loco,” or the madman, was once the leading candidate until he Disqualified for money laundering.
But from inside the Nicaraguan Embassy in Panama City, where he was granted asylum, Mr. Martinelli was actively campaigned for José Raúl Mulinoa former minister of public security, who was his running mate and replaced him on the ballot.
Mr. Mulino has led the polls in a field of eight candidates, vowing to return Panama to the level of economic growth it experienced under Mr. Martinelli, who served as president from 2009 to year 2014.
Political chaos characterized the election, which took place amid widespread frustration with the current government and after major protests last year over a copper mining contract that protesters claimed that will harm the environment.
The candidates are competing for a five-year term in a one-round vote – whoever receives the highest percentage of votes wins. Voters will also be able to choose representatives for the National Assembly and local governments.
Poll Shows that Mr. Mulino is leading his closest competitors by more than 10 percentage points. They were Martín Torrijos, the former president and son of a Panamanian dictator, who negotiated with the United States to give Panama control of the Panama Canal; Rómulo Roux, former foreign minister; and Ricardo Lombana, a former diplomat. Another candidate, José Gabriel Carrizo, also known as Gaby, is the current vice president.
Panama has emerged as one of the fastest growing economies in the Western Hemisphere thanks to the expansion of the Panama Canal, free trade agreements that have attracted investors, and the use of the US dollar as a currency. local currency.
But most candidates say the country is going in the wrong direction, pointing out One downgraded Panama’s credit rating in March. The country’s economic output is expected to grow 2.5% this year, down from 7.5% growth in 2023.
That slowdown was largely the result of the Supreme Court declaring the copper mining contract unconstitutional and the government’s subsequent shutdown of the mine. (The World Bank forecasts faster growth starting next year.)
The next president will face a host of other problems, including a worsening humanitarian crisis as hundreds of thousands of migrants cross the stretch of jungle road between Panama and Colombia known as the Darién Gap . Aid groups reported alarming sudden increase in attacks in Panama, including rape.
Mr. Mulino has pledged to close ports of entry and deport migrants who violate Panamanian law, saying he “will not allow thousands of illegals to pass through our territory without control.” ”.
That position has been criticized by other candidates, including Mr. Lombana, who has said that Panama should instead control the flow of migrants through diplomatic agreements with other countries and should protect protect migrants from organized crime.
Water concerns are also a central election issue. A recent drought caused by less than normal rainfall has reduced water levels in the Panama Canal, resulting in fewer ships allowed to pass. The candidates have promised to provide clean water to communities lacking water.
They also pledged to tackle the high deficit plaguing Panama’s pension system and create new jobs in a country struggling with a shortage of skilled workers and large numbers of workers. unofficial.
“This next president is going to have to be a sadistic president because they are really going to have an agenda,” said Daniel Zovatto, a global fellow at the Wilson Center, a Washington-based think tank. The agenda is filled with structural challenges.”
Despite Mr. Martinelli’s ouster, Mr. Mulino’s campaign continued to use his image in promotional materials and relied heavily on his legacy, which includes overseeing the expansion of the Panama Canal worth billions of dollars and inaugurated the metro system in the capital Panama.
Mr. Mulino has called Mr. Martinelli’s corruption trial, which ended with a 10-year prison sentence, a “set-up” and claimed that he himself had been politically persecuted.
In 2015, Mr. Mulino was arrested and spent several months in prison for embezzlement tied to a multimillion-dollar contract he signed in 2010 to buy radar when he was minister of public security under Mr. Martinelli.
The Supreme Court later ruled that there had been procedural violations and upheld the lower court’s dismissal of the charges, although that left the possibility that the case could be reopened. (On Friday, the high court ruled that Mr. Mulino’s candidacy was legal after a challenge that he should not be in the race because he was not running with a vice presidential candidate as required by the country’s Constitution).
Mr. Mulino, like other candidates, has focused his campaign on job growth and promised to increase tourism and build a railway connecting Panama City to the country’s interior to create jobs. work in the construction industry. He also pledged to increase agricultural production, reduce medicine costs and provide free Internet access to schools.
Mr. Torrijos, as president of Panama from 2004 to 2009, introduced a national referendum in which Panamanians approved the modernization of the Panama Canal. In addition, he also announced that he would oppose mining activities in the country.
Mr. Roux, a former foreign minister, said he would create 500,000 new jobs over five years and reduce taxes for those paid less than $1,500 a month, while Mr. Lombana, a former diplomat, considered fighting corruption. is central to its strategy. campaign, pledging to recover the stolen money and significantly increase the budget of the judiciary.
Voters interviewed in Panama City days before the election expressed mixed views on the political drama unfolding around Mr. Mulino’s campaign.
Andrés Espinoza, 78, a retiree, said he planned to vote for Mr. Mulino because of Mr. Martinelli’s legacy. He said the former president was facing political repression and that his opponents sought to “eliminate him and invent many things.”
Viterbo Barrias González, 76, a private security guard, did not reveal who he planned to vote for but said Mr. Martinelli was voted out. being treated unfairly. Mr Martinelli’s years in power were prosperous times, he said, when “there was no one who didn’t eat ham at Christmas and New Year”.
But Federico Herrera, 40, a civil engineer, said Mr. Mulino’s entry into the presidential race represented “everything that is wrong with Panama,” pointing to the tangible alliance he still maintains with Mr. Martinelli defied his beliefs. He said he planned to vote for Mr. Lombana.
“The biggest problem in Panama is corruption – corruption attacks from all levels, education, health care, roads,” Mr. Herrera said. “You need to put money where it is needed, not in the pockets of politicians.”
Other voters said they were undecided about their preferred candidate.
Harry Brown Araúz, an investigator at the Center for International Political and Social Research, a think tank in Panama City, said voters may be confused because at times several candidates belong to the same party.
And he added, the race does not hinge on any clear differences in political ideology.
“A large segment of the population, even though they know the individuals running, say they don’t know who to vote for, and that’s because the lines between parties have been blurred,” he said.
Mary Triny Zea reports contributions from Panama City.
