Panamanian president-elect must seek consensus before the new conformation of the Legislature

The elected president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, who won at the polls with the strong support of the popular former president Ricardo Martinelli, will have to seek consensus before the new configuration of the Legislature, where one of the biggest surprises of Sunday’s elections occurred with the emergence of the independents.

Mulino, a former Minister of Security from the previous Martinelli government (2009-2014) and who replaced the former president on the ballot after he was disqualified after confirming a conviction against him for money laundering, won with 34.34%. of the votes after 97.95% of the voting tables were counted, an advantage of 10 percentage points over the second Ricardo Lombana, of the Other Path Movement, which became the second political force in the Central American nation.

The 64-year-old president-elect called for national unity in his victory speech and promised that in his government, which must begin on July 1, there would be no room for revenge or persecution. This was a reference to the complaints that Martinelli has received for years against him in the midst of judicial processes for corruption.

Martinelli could not seek a second term by the Realizing Goals and Alliance parties after the confirmation of the conviction against him for money laundering. The former president, 72, took refuge in the Nicaraguan embassy in early February after receiving political asylum and this year he would have to face another trial related to bribes delivered by the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.

“Enough of carrying out revenge as a government effort… of rigged justice, it’s over,” Mulino said after the victory to his supporters, who chanted “Freedom, Freedom” for Martinelli. “Political persecution, manipulation of the Public Ministry, manipulation of judges and magistrates.”

“They will have a president of respectful conciliation,” he promised. “I am going to talk to everyone, to extend a helping hand to reach an agreement, not in a spirit of confrontation. But we must move the nation forward, without fear, consolidating the political forces that respect the people.”

Mulino assured during the campaign that he would help Martinelli get out of his troubles with the law.

His message of unity could make sense since he will have a unicameral Legislative Assembly – the body most questioned by scandals of waste and opacity – without a majority.

The parties Realizing Goals, founded by Martinelli, and Alianza that led him to victory would barely have 15 of 71 seats. The outstanding mark was given by the Free Nomination candidates who are winning 21 positions, which has been described as a triumph and punishment for the Legislature after massive protests last year against a government contract agreed with a Canadian copper mine that was declared unconstitutional and led to the closure of that enormous project.

The ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), of the outgoing president Laurentino Cortizo, suffered not only a setback in the presidential election but was only winning 12 seats, 23 less than those achieved in the last 2019 elections. The ruling party candidate José Gabriel Carrizo He was sixth with 5.83% of the votes. He also lost the mayoralty of the capital, the second most important popularly elected position after that of president.

The other legislative seats were distributed by the Democratic Change parties, led by Rómulo Roux, who finished fourth in the presidential election, his Panameñista ally – both have 16 -, the Popular Party that supported former president Martín Torrijos, third in the presidential election, with two and Molirena, an ally of the PRD, with one.

Mulino said he contacted Carrizo and Roux after the victory.

Mulino stressed after his victory that he won with the majority vote, but just over a third of Panamanians gave him their support in a politically fragmented country.

The president-elect will initially face an economy that will contract this year due to the closure of the mine and the water crisis that reduced transit through the Panama Canal for the first time in history. Also irregular migration through the dangerous Darién jungle, bordering Colombia, where half a million people crossed last year. Mulino has promised to end this phenomenon, including by closing the jungle, although he has not given details.

After his victory, Mulino received congratulatory calls from the presidents of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, and of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves, as well as messages in that regard from the United States and other countries.

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