Jose Raul Mulino wins Panama presidential elections with 34% of votes
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Mulino, the nominated candidate of the opposition alliance made of the Achieving Goals party and the Alianza movement, scores 34% of the votes while the anti-system candidate Ricardo Lombana is left with 25%.
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Presidential candidate Jose Raul Mulino, of the Achieving Goals party, celebrates after winning on the day of the general electing in Panama City, May 5, 2024. (AP)
After over 90% of the votes were counted, right-wing former Public Security Minister Jose Raul Mulino was declared the winner of the country’s presidential election on Sunday.
Mulino, the nominated candidate of the opposition alliance made of the Achieving Goals party and the Alianza movement, scored 34% of the votes while the anti-system candidate Ricardo Lombana was left with 25%.
Panama's Supreme Court shut down an attempt to disqualify Mulino, who replaced the former candidate and former President Ricardo Martinelli. Mulino was Martinelli's vice-presidential candidate and ended up leading the votes over his two rivals, lawyer Lombana and ex-President Martín Torrijos.
¡Ganamos, carajo! Misión cumplida Gracias, Panamá 🇵🇦 pic.twitter.com/aMKhGs8FyJ
— José Raúl Mulino (@JoseRaulMulino) May 6, 2024
Martinelli was disqualified from running by Panama’s court as a result of being sentenced to over 10 years in prison for money laundering and has been living in the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama City ever since seeking asylum in February.
Martinelli, who served as president from 2009 to 2014, is accused of using illegally obtained state money in 2010 to purchase the bulk of the Editora Panama America publishing company.
Mulino called the Martinelli case politically motivated, while critics called Mulino a puppet of Martinelli and even suggested he would take advantage of his new role to pardon him.
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Shortly after the win, Mulino's campaign released a video which shows him visiting Martinelli at the Nicaraguan embassy, and the two are seen hugging at the diplomatic headquarters.
Quien más sufrió con el actual gobierno es el pueblo. Después mi familia y yo que fui injustamente condenado a pesar de ser inocente. Se metieron con las cuentas de 99 para hacerme daño a mí.
— Ricardo Martinelli (@rmartinelli) April 26, 2024
Cuando usas tu campaña para atacar tanto es porque no tienes nada bueno para mostrar. No…
Mulino is due to be faced with multiple challenges, such as economic growth expected to plunge from 7.3% in 2023 to 2.5% in 2024, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, Mulino vowed to create more jobs while boosting investments and infrastructure.
In addition, he also has to tackle the Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama, which he pledged to shut down. The 575,000-hectare area of vegetation has turned into a corridor for migrants from South America trying to reach the US via Central America and Mexico.
