José Emilio Moreno is Elected the New Rector of the University of Panama 2026-2031

With a career spanning 34 years of experience, Professor José Emilio Moreno was elected rector of the University of Panama this past Wednesday.  After a calm election day, Moreno, who headed the red list, managed to secure the necessary support to lead the institution during the 2026-2031 period.  Although 58 polling stations were still to be counted at the time of the announcement, the official count, which had already reached 71% of the 200 polling stations, confirmed an irreversible trend.  With 57.60% of the votes in his favor, Professor Moreno not only won the results, but achieved a resounding victory: he received strong support from the teachers (37.64%), as well as the support of the student community (15.33%) and the administrative sector (4.63%). 

One of the pillars of this triumph was the massive support of all the regional centers in the country, which gives the new rector national legitimacy upon assuming his mandate.  The official numbers reflected active participation, with low percentages of null votes (3.12%) and blank votes (0.97%).  As for her contenders, second place went to Migdalia Bustamante (list 3) with 18.57%, followed by César García (12.72%), Denis Chávez (4.04%), Roberto A. Chong (2.46%) and Corina Pérez (0.53%).  Although the election day proceeded without major incidents, some students expressed their discontent at not being able to exercise their right to vote because they did not appear on the electoral register, an issue that will undoubtedly remain on the institutional agenda for reflection.