2024 Panamanian general election
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| Reporting | 99.11% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Presidential election | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | ≥77.09%  ≥4.08pp (from reported votes)77.64% 4.63pp (official) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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All 71 seats in the National Assembly 36 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
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General elections were held in Panama on 5 May 2024 to elect a new President of Panama, members of the National Assembly and local governments.[2][3] Due to constitutional term limits, incumbent president Laurentino Cortizo was ineligible for a second consecutive term.[4] The winners of the general election, including the new president of Panama, will be inaugurated on 1 July.[5]
The conservative candidate José Raúl Mulino, who was appointed as presidential candidate of Realizing Goals following the conviction and subsequent disqualification of former president Ricardo Martinelli,[6] won the election with 34.4% of the vote.[7][8] Mulino defeated a total of seven other candidates, among whom his closest rival was Ricardo Lombana of MOCA, who received around 24.8%.[9]
The governing Democratic Revolutionary Party suffered their worst electoral result in their party's history, even though they are the largest political party in Panama.[10] Their candidate, incumbent vice president José Gabriel Carrizo, came in sixth place with 5.83% of the vote; and the party suffered significant losses in the legislative and local elections, losing the mayorships of the most populated districts of the country, including Panama District,[11] San Miguelito,[12] Colón,[13] Arraiján,[14] La Chorrera,[15] David,[16] and Santiago de Veraguas.[17]
In contrast, there was an outstanding performance by new parties and independent politicians. Realizing Goals, the party of the president-elect, which was founded in 2021 by former president Ricardo Martinelli, gained 13 seats in the National Assembly. Another Way Movement, founded in late 2019 by Ricardo Lombana, became the most-voted opposition party by gaining a fourth of the presidential vote, four members of the National Assembly and numerous local governments, including the mayorship of Santiago.[17][18]
Electoral system[edit]
Of the 71 members of the National Assembly, 26 are elected in single-member constituencies and 45 by proportional representation in multi-member constituencies. Each district with more than 40,000 inhabitants forms a constituency. Constituencies elect one MP for every 30,000 residents and an additional representative for every fraction over 10,000.[19] Around three million people were eligible to vote in the election.[20]
In single-member constituencies MPs are elected using the first-past-the-post system. In multi-member constituencies MPs are elected using party list proportional representation according to a double quotient; the first allocation of seats uses a simple quotient, further seats are allotted using the quotient divided by two, with any remaining seats are awarded to the parties with the greatest remainder.[19]
The president is elected by plurality vote in a single round.
Presidential candidates[edit]
Declared[edit]
- Rómulo Roux[21]
- José Gabriel Carrizo, current vice-president of Panama and member of Democratic Revolutionary Party.[22]
- Ricardo Lombana, former presidential candidate and leader of Movimiento Otro Camino.[23]
- Martín Torrijos, former president of Panama.[24]
- Maribel Gordón, former vice-presidential candidate.[25]
- Zulay Rodríguez[26]
- José Raúl Mulino[27]
- Melitón Arrocha[28]
Disqualified[edit]
Ricardo Martinelli[edit]
In 2021, former president Ricardo Martinelli announced that he would run again for president as leader of Realizing Goals.[29] On 18 July 2023, however, a criminal court sentenced him to more than 10 years' imprisonment for money laundering, relating to the "New Business" case involving the granting of lucrative government contracts to businesses that later transferred money to a front set up by Martinelli.[30] His conviction was upheld by the Supreme Court on 2 February 2024, making him ineligible to run again for president in elections that he wanted to contest later in the year.[31] On 4 March his candidacy was formally revoked by the Electoral Tribunal, which allowed his running-mate, former foreign minister José Raúl Mulino, to run for president.[32] On 3 May, the Supreme Court voted 8–1 to dismiss a legal challenge against Mulino's candidacy on the grounds that he was not selected as candidate in a party primary.[33]
Since his conviction in February 2024, Martinelli has insisted that he would continue his presidential campaign, but has since sought asylum at the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama City.[34] He has posted video messages supporting Mulino throughout the campaign.[5]
Campaign[edit]
The election was held against a backdrop of voter discontent. One poll found an 86% disapproval rating for the incumbent president and that 90% of Panamanians thought the country was on the wrong path.[35] Another found two out of three citizens wanted "radical change". The same poll found were 83% are dissatisfied with their democracy.[36]
Among significant issues during the campaign were corruption, the economy, the environment and constitutional reform, with Rómulo Roux and Ricardo Lombana pledging to revise or replace the current constitution enacted in 1972. Specifically, Lombana wants the presdential election to be decided by a run-off.[36] Martin Torrijos pledged to jumpstart the economy by investing in the Panama Canal, while Roux pledged to implement an "aggressive" job creation scheme and improve public services.[5]
The closure of the Cobre Panamá copper mine in 2023 was also a significant issue, with all candidates supporting the Supreme Court's decision to annul a 20-year contract awarded to First Quantum Minerals as unconstitutional. However, Roux, Lombana and Maribel Gordón supported the total closure and conversion of the mining site.[37][5]
On the topic of corruption, Lombana pledged to fight the influence of drug money in Panamanian politics.[36] According to Gallup, 57% of Panamanians believed corruption is the most important issue ahead of the election.[35]
José Raúl Mulino pledged to close the Darién Gap as a route for migrants heading to the United States and repatriate migrants already in Panama, while promising to respect their rights.[38] He also pledged to provide help to Ricardo Martinelli once he was in office.[39] Lombana opposed closing the Darién Gap and instead proposed to improve security conditions for migrants transiting the country.[5]
On 3 May, Melitón Arrocha withdrew his presidential candidacy and announced that he was supporting former president Martín Torrijos.[33]
Opinion polls[edit]
 | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
| Pollster | Date | Sample size | Mulino (RM) | Martinelli (RM) | Lombana (MOC) | Carrizo (PRD) | Roux (CD) | Blandón (PAN) | Torrijos (PP) | Other | Blank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statista Research Department | 14 March–20 March 2024 | – |
35% |
– | 12% | – | 14% | – | 15% | 19% | 5.8% | – |
| Mercadeo Planificado | 3 February–5 February 2024 | – |
26% |
– | 10.8% | 6.5% | 10.2% | – | 10.8% | – | 5.8% | |
| 2 February 2024 | Ricardo Martinelli is disqualified by the Supreme Court | |||||||||||
| Acción Ciudadana | 27 January–3 February 2024 | – | – | 40% | 11% | 4% | 8% | – | 9% | – | 3% | |
| C&E Research | 10–15 January 2024 | – | – | 30% | 12% | 10% | 14% | — | 22% | – | 3% | |
| 26 September 2023 | José Isabel Blandón renounces his candidacy to join that of Rómulo Roux | |||||||||||
| Gismo Services S.A. | 19–23 August 2023 | – | – | 29% | 5% | 28% | 13% | 10% | 7% | – | 3% | |
| C&E Research | 11 April 2023 | – | – | 44% | 10% | 3% | 8% | 5% | 18% | – | 12% | |
| Gallup Panama | 13–21 March 2023 | 1,200 | – | 62% | 12% | 1% | 7% | 4% | 9% | 5% | 24% | |
| Gismo Services | 22–23 February 2023 | 1,800 | – | 33% | 6% | 29% | 13% | 9% | — | 10% | 6% | |
| Gallup Panama | 9-16 February 2023 | 1,200 | – | 62% | 16% | 5% | 11% | 5% | — | 26% | ||
| Gismo Services | 17–23 January 2023 | 1,800 | – | 30% | 7% | 27% | 11% | 9% | — | 10% | 6% | |
| Gismo Services | 6–10 December 2022 | 1,800 | – | 32% | 9% | 28% | 12% | 9% | — | 10% | 6% | |
| Gismo Services | 3–7 September 2022 | 1,800 | – | 35% | 6% | 27% | 13% | 7% | — | — | 12% | |
| Gismo Services | 27–31 July 2022 | 1,800 | – | 34.1% | 3.4% | 26.1% | 13.6% | 6.8% | — | — | 12% | |
| Gismo Services | 7–11 May 2022 | 1,800 | – | 35.3% | 4.7% | 27.1% | 15.3% | 8.2% | — | — | 15% | |
| Gismo Services | 6–10 April 2022 | 1,800 | – | 37.1% | 3.4% | 25.8% | 14.6% | 9% | — | — | 11% | |
| Gallup Panama | 11–16 March 2022 | 1,200 | – | 56.6% | 13.3% | 7.2% | 2.4% | 6% | — | 14.4% | 17% | |
| Gismo Services | 5–10 March 2022 | 1,800 | – | 39.8% | 5.7% | 23.9% | 11.4% | 8% | — | — | 12% | |
| Gallup Panama | 5–9 February 2022 | 1,200 | – | 57.7% | 12.8% | 5.1% | 4.1% | 5.1% | — | 8% | 22% | |
| Gismo Services | 3–7 January 2022 | 1,800 | – | 44.9% | 5.6% | 22.5% | 7.9% | 5.6% | — | — | 11% | |
| Gismo Services | December 2021 | 1,800 | – | 45% | 5% | 19% | 8% | 4% | — | 10% | 9% | |
Conduct[edit]
Polling opened at 07:00 on 5 May and closed at 16:00 Eastern Standard Time.[40]
Results[edit]
Presidential election[edit]
99.32% reporting | ||||
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| José Raúl Mulino | Realizing Goals | 774,243 | 34.26 | |
| Ricardo Lombana | Another Way Movement | 556,919 | 24.64 | |
| Martín Torrijos | People's Party | 362,306 | 16.03 | |
| Rómulo Roux | Democratic Change | 256,682 | 11.36 | |
| Zulay Rodríguez | Independent | 148,406 | 6.57 | |
| José Gabriel Carrizo | Democratic Revolutionary Party | 132,176 | 5.85 | |
| Maribel Gordón | Independent | 24,332 | 1.08 | |
| Melitón Arrocha | Independent | 4,813 | 0.21 | |
| Total | 2,259,877 | 100.00 | ||
| Valid votes | 2,259,877 | 97.54 | ||
| Invalid votes | 38,228 | 1.65 | ||
| Blank votes | 18,876 | 0.81 | ||
| Total votes | 2,316,981 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 3,004,083 | 77.13 | ||
| Source: Tribunal Electoral[41][42] | ||||
Legislative election[edit]
 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
| Independents | 21 | +16 | |||
| Realizing Goals | 13 | New | |||
| Democratic Revolutionary Party | 12 | −23 | |||
| Democratic Change | 8 | −10 | |||
| Panameñista Party | 8 | 0 | |||
| Another Way Movement | 4 | New | |||
| People's Party | 2 | +2 | |||
| Alliance Party | 2 | +2 | |||
| Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement | 1 | −4 | |||
| Total | 71 | – | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 2,999,625 | – | |||
| Source: Sistema de Transmisión Extraoficial de Resultados (TER) | |||||
Reactions[edit]
Domestic[edit]
Fellow candidate Ricardo Lombana congratulated Mulino on his victory,[43] followed by Martín Torrijos and Rómulo Roux.[44]
International[edit]
Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Mulino on his victory, and said that he looked forward to continued strategic partnerships and curbing irregular migration through the Darien Gap.[45]
Notes[edit]
- ^ Mulino was initially nominated as Ricardo Martinelli's running mate. After Martinelli's disqualification as candidate, Mulino assumes the replacement but without a running mate by electoral disposition.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ "Tribunal Electoral inhabilita a Ricardo Martinelli como candidato presidencial". TVN Noticias (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 5 March 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ "Electoral Tribunal of Panama launched General Elections Plan for 2024 with technical assistance of International IDEA". www.idea.int. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ "Panama begins registration for an advance vote in general elections - Prensa Latina". 9 March 2023. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ^ "Decree of the electoral court for the holding of elections" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 September 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "Panama election: Voters to choose president after front-runner sentenced". BBC. 5 May 2024. Archived from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "Panama Supreme Court lets ex-President Martinelli's sentence stand, likely ending his reelection bid". Associated Press News. 2 February 2024. Archived from the original on 8 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ Alberti, Juan Carlos Paz, Mia (6 May 2024). "Panama's Mulino declared 'unofficial' winner of presidential election". CNN. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "José Raúl Mulino: Stand-in for convicted candidate wins Panama presidency". 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ Valentine Hilaire; Elida Moreno (5 May 2024). "Panama's Mulino wins presidency with support from convicted former leader". Reuters. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ Infobae, Por Newsroom (6 May 2024). "El gobernante PRD obtiene su peor resultado presidencial en unas elecciones de Panamá". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Mayer Mizrachi es el virtual alcalde de Panamá". www.prensa.com (in Spanish). 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Irma Hernández, de la coalición Vamos, derrota a Zulay Rodríguez y a Valdés Carrasquilla en San Miguelito". www.prensa.com (in Spanish). 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Diógenes Galván derrota a Alex Lee en la alcaldía de Colón". www.prensa.com (in Spanish). 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Stefany Dayan Peñalba le arrebata la alcaldía a Rollyns 'Tropa' Rodríguez en Arraiján". www.midiario.com (in Spanish). 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Elecciones en Panamá 2024: Resultados de la Alcaldía de La Chorrera". www.telemetro.com (in Spanish). 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Elecciones en Panamá 2024: Resultados en la Alcaldía de David, provincia de Chiriquí". www.telemetro.com (in Spanish). 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Elecciones en Panamá 2024: Resultado para la Alcaldía de Santiago". www.telemetro.com (in Spanish). 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Estos son los diputados de la nueva Asamblea Nacional; la mayoría son independientes". www.prensa.com (in Spanish). 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ a b Electoral system Archived 29 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine IPU
- ^ "Former minister Jose Raul Mulino wins Panama presidential race". France 24. 6 May 2024. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "America Elects Official". Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ López Lazo, Pavel (28 March 2022). "Panama´s ruling party sets course towards 2024 presidential elections – Prensa Latina". Prensa Latina. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ "Política en Panamá: Lombana reitera el llamado a los independientes a unificar una 'visión de país' hacia el 2024". TVN (in European Spanish). 7 February 2022. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ "Martín Torrijos inicia campaña para volver a la presidencia de Panamá" [Martín Torrijos begins campaign to return to the presidency of Panama]. France 24 (in Spanish). 28 April 2023. Archived from the original on 26 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ^ "Elecciones Generales de Panamá - Ruta 2024". Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "Elecciones Generales de Panamá - Ruta 2024". Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "Elecciones Generales de Panamá - Ruta 2024". Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "The Uh-Oh Moment for Melitón Arrocha". Newsroom Panama. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ Pinto, Alberto (10 November 2021). "Ricardo Martinelli confirma sus aspiraciones a la Presidencia de la República en el 2024". Panamá América (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ "Panama Ex-President Martinelli is sentenced to 10 years in prison for money laundering". ABC News. Archived from the original on 9 September 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ Solís, Alma (2 February 2024). "Panama Supreme Court lets ex-President Martinelli's sentence stand, likely ending his reelection bid". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2 February 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Panamanian electoral court bars former president Martinelli's candidacy in May elections". Associated Press. 5 March 2024. Archived from the original on 5 March 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Panama Supreme Court rejects challenge to candidacy of presidential frontrunner days before vote". Associated Press. 3 May 2024. Archived from the original on 3 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ Solís, Alma (8 February 2024). "Panama ex-President Ricardo Martinelli receives political asylum from Nicaragua". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Poll Tracker: Panama's 2024 Presidential Election". www.as-coa.org. 3 May 2024. Archived from the original on 3 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "Years of growth forged prosaic politics. Now Panamanians are fed up". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on 4 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ "Candidates confront corruption and inequality in Panama's presidential race". Al Jazeera. 3 May 2024. Archived from the original on 3 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Panama presidential frontrunner vows to shut jungle migrant route". France 24. 17 April 2024. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "Panamanians vote in election dominated by former president who was banned from running". Associated Press. 5 May 2024. Archived from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "Panama voters to elect new president in crowded field of contenders". Al Jazeera. 5 May 2024. Archived from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "General Election 2024, Election of the President". Tribunal Electoral (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "TE Presents Final Electoral Census" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ Hilaire, Valentine; Moreno, Elida (5 May 2024). "Mulino wins Panama presidency with support from convicted former leader". Reuters. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Stand-in Jose Raul Mulino wins Panama presidential race". Al Jazeera. 6 May 2024. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Congratulations to Panama's President-Elect Mulino". U.S. Department of State. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
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