Winning the Panama Presidency from a Foreign Embassy

How do you win the presidency from a foreign embassy?  From the Nicaraguan embassy, ​​Martinelli made decisions about the political strategy to lead his vice president to victory, recording spots to tell the electorate that Mulino is Martinelli and Martinelli and Mulino, and held political meetings with representatives of his electoral staff. These were all key to the victory on May 5th.  José Raúl Mulino, the elected president of the Republic, won the race due to votes transferred to him by Ricardo Martinelli, the mastermind behind the election win.  The people loved Ricardo, it was plain to see right from the beginning.  The Nicaraguan embassy, ​​located in the La Alameda neighborhood, Betania district, was a campaign center for Mulino, who was originally Martinelli’s vice presidential candidate.  Ricardo Martinelli picked a good man to take his place and to end up as president.  On March 22, the Foreign Ministry reported that it called José De Jesús Martínez, Panama’s ambassador to Nicaragua for consultations precisely because of the activities of the former president of the Republic.  In a diplomatic note, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Panama reiterated its strongest protest to Nicaragua for allowing, under the protection of an alleged “protection, which is illegal in accordance with international law,” former President Martinelli to maintain and deploy actions, from the diplomatic headquarters, for political-partisan purposes.  “The Republic of Panama feels truly affected in its territorial integrity by the permissive attitude of the Republic of Nicaragua that flagrantly and repeatedly violates fundamental norms of international law,” said the letter, dated April 22, 2024.  I am sure with a smile on his face; the President of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega did nothing. Nothing happened. No messages were received from Nicaragua.  Political activity increased in Panama. In the final stretch of the political campaign, Martinelli’s voice was constantly heard in spots and messages on social networks, in which he asked for the vote for Mulino.  The story reached its climax Sunday in the middle of the elections. After voting in Atlapa, Mulino visited Martinelli. The now president-elect arrived at the La Alameda headquarters at 9:31 am and left at 10:05 am. Photographs and videos published by supporters of the former president show the two of them locked in a comradely embrace.  What did they talk about that day? Mulino only said that they had had a coffee and then he went to Chiriquí.  Mulino was born in David so Chiriqui is home.  That night, when the Electoral Tribunal’s Unofficial Results Transmission system announced that he had 34.2% of the votes, which gave him the victory, he issued a speech whose first phrase was “damn mission accomplished.” For some analysts, the phrase is symbolic. It says a lot. He is telling Martinelli that he did his homework.  Martinelli orchestrated an entire scheme of delay and delay of the judicial processes that he had in order to obtain the nomination. And on the other hand, he also found the political party system that allowed him to do that. That is, he is basically the owner of a political party (Realizing Goals) which is as if it were a public limited company. And that corporation manages it as it pleases,” he said.  He recalled that he first put his wife Marta Linares as a candidate for vice president, but inexplicably she dropped out, so he later chose Mulino.  As it turned out, as they say in Panama, “Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner”.

Mulino assured Newsroom Panama that during his administration he will be the one who makes all the decisions, as well as the formation of his new cabinet.  “I have no commitment, nor has Ricardo Martinelli ever asked me for any commitment at all,” he said.  Mulino even maintained that he is in a position “free of commitments” even with the party that nominated him, in this case Realizing Goals (RM), a political group founded by the former president, and the Alianza party.  “I don’t have time for those types of rumors, time will tell if I am or not,” he added.  “Whoever knows me, knows perfectly well who I am. I have judgment and believe me, I am the president of the Republic of Panama. “I will make the decisions because it is up to me to govern and have the team,” he said.  When asked if he will try to help Martinelli so that his sentence is revoked and he can leave the Nicaraguan embassy, ​​Mulino said: “It is a legal issue that has to be faced with Mr. Martinelli’s lawyers, who “I can only hope that it is resolved.”