On Sunday, Panamanian citizens braved long lines and sweltering heat to exercise their right to vote in the presidential election. The campaign leading up to the election was marked by protests, with key issues including a corruption scandal and a migration crisis in the Darién Jungle, where organized criminals extort money from migrants. The death toll in the jungle reached at least 141 in 2023.

As the votes were being counted, candidate José Raúl Mulino, representing the Realizando Metas party, had a commanding lead with 33% of the votes. He promised to address the issues in the Darién Jungle. In second place was Ricardo Lombana from the Movimento Outro Caminho party, with 24% of the votes, followed by former president Martín Torrijos with 16%. There were five other candidates in contention.

This election is considered one of the most complex in modern Panama history according to Arantza Alonso, a senior analyst for Americas at Verisk Maplecroft. Just one day before voting day, there was a dramatic turn of events as the Supreme Court allowed Mulino to be included as a candidate despite objections from his opponents. Mulino replaced former President Ricard Martinelli who was declared ineligible and sought asylum in Nicaraguan embassy after being embroiled in corruption scandals.

Despite this controversy surrounding Martinelli’s exclusion from running for office and his supporters’ allegations that he has been wrongfully persecuted by Panamanian authorities, many voters expressed their gratitude for his economic policies during his presidency which left an indelible mark on Panama’s economy growth. As results continue to trickle in and candidates make their final push for support among voters ahead of runoff elections set for May 7th, citizens eagerly awaited news about who would succeed him as President of Panama hoping for positive change