President Mulino Reiterates that Law 462 “Will Not be Revised.”
President José Raúl Mulino reiterated this past Wednesday that Law 462, which reforms the Social Security Fund (CSS) pension system, will not be amended. “Law 462 will not be revised. I’ll repeat it,” he declared this Thursday, May 22, at his weekly press conference. He asserted that the proposals from the sectors opposing the reform were considered. “Everything those sectors proposed since August 1st of last year, when I met with them here at the Presidency, was granted, it was implemented.” This is a story in progress so check back later for more.
The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, highlighted this Thursday the positive performance of the Panamanian economy, citing the Monthly Index of Economic Activity (IMAE) of the Comptroller General of the Republic. According to the data, the economy grew 7.88% in March 2025 compared to the same month of the previous year. Furthermore, cumulative growth from January to March of the same year reached 6.6%, showing a solid start to the year. President Mulino highlighted that this growth was driven by a wide range of sectors, including transportation, commerce, banking, industry, agriculture, fishing, hotels, and restaurants.
“As you can see, it’s no longer just two or three traditional economic activities that generate growth; it’s a cluster of diverse activities that exist in the country, and we hope it can continue to sustain itself over the coming quarters and grow, of course,” he stated. However, the president acknowledged that the recent protests and road closures, which have generated unrest, especially in the transportation sector, have had a negative impact on the economy. “Obviously, the situation that has developed in the last three weeks with the roadblocks, etc., despite the fact that the country has not been shut down and will not be shut down, must have caused a decline,” he explained. Mulino expressed his hope that the situation will be resolved soon to avoid further damage to the economy. “Let’s hope and trust that we get out of this as soon as possible and that the economy doesn’t suffer more than it already has with all these unjustified actions,” he concluded.
