Highest Electoral Participation in Panama Recorded in 30 Years

The highest electoral participation in Panama in the last three decades of the democratic era (1994-2024), occurred on May 5, 2024, with a total of 2,332,864 citizens who came out to exercise their right to vote.  The day registered 77.7% of the valid votes for the position of head of State of the Republic, which declared José Raúl Mulino as president-elect. 

According to statistics from the Electoral Tribunal, from 1994 to 2024, attendance at the polls exceeds 70%.  The 2009 elections were won by Ricardo Martinelli with 952,333 votes in his favor (60%) and an electoral participation of 74%.  Elections 2019, Laurentino Cortizo obtained 655,302 votes in 2019 (33.4%), with 73.0% electoral participation.  While in 2024 José Raúl Mulino triumphed at the polls with 778,763 votes (34.2%), with the highest electoral participation in the last 30 years (77.7%). 

In Panama, voting is not mandatory, which means that Panamanians like to go out and vote every five years or so.