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LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

A daily publication Of the dialogue

May 7, 2024

What Will Mulino’s Presidency Mean for Panamanians?

José Raúl Mulino, who was former President Ricardo Martinelli’s running mate, was elected president of Panama on Sunday following Martineli’s disqualification from the race. // File Photo: @JoseRaulMulino via X.

Q

  • José Raúl Mulino, a former government minister and businessman, was elected Panama’s new president on Sunday, winning 34 percent of the vote and defeating his nearest rival by nine percentage points. Mulino, whom former President Ricardo Martinelli had tapped as his running mate, replaced Martinelli on the ballot after the former president was ruled ineligible following his sentencing to 10 years in prison for money laundering. What fueled Mulino’s victory in the election? What can Panamanians expect of his government, and what are the main challenges that he will face when he takes office in July? How well will Mulino be able to work with the newly elected National Assembly? To what extent will Martinelli drive the actions of Mulino’s government?

A

Sabrina Bacal, anchor and former news director at TVN Media Panamá: “José Raúl Mulino’s victory is the result of a very effective electoral strategy, which achieved the unexpected: transferring all of former President Ricardo Martinelli’s political capital to him. In this way, the Martinelli-Mulino duo promised that Panama would return to the ‘economic bonanza’ of the president’s term. The dispersion of the vote among the other three important candidates and the existence of a single electoral round completed Mulino’s victory. In his first speech as president-elect, Mulino assured that he is ‘nobody’s puppet.’ He also spoke of his victory as a ‘mission accomplished’ for Martinelli, his friend who had taken refuge in the Nicaraguan embassy, and he attacked those who he considers guilty of what he calls…”

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The Inter-American Dialogue publishes the Latin America Advisor every business day for a distinguished membership of informed corporate leaders, scholars, and government officials invested in Latin America’s development and future. The Advisor‘s highly regarded Q&A section covers questions submitted by subscribers themselves. Commentators regularly include heads of state, business leaders, diplomats, economists, analysts, and thought leaders from around the world. Many of the world’s largest and fastest-growing companies subscribe to the Advisor. To subscribe, click here. For terms and conditions, click here. For more information, contact Gene Kuleta, editor of the Advisor, at gkuleta@thedialogue.org.
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