José Raúl Mulino – The New President of Panama

Current President Cortizo congratulated Mulino on his win and committed to an ‘orderly transition July 1st. Lombana won the early vote abroad and finished in second spot.  Martin Torrijos came in third place.  Mulino said that his will be a government of unity, that he does not want confrontations, that political persecution is “over” and that he will respect freedom of expression. But he also maintains that he has won the election, “it hurts whoever it hurts!”, and criticized those who “cowardly tried, with tricks, manipulations and blackmail, to twist the popular will and have a supreme court appoint the next president of the Republic”.  The president-elect acknowledged that “I did not imagine this scenario” when Ricardo Martinelli asked him if he wanted to be his candidate for the vice presidency of the Republic, in October 2023, “but it was my turn and I assumed it with enormous responsibility and humility.” Previously, Martinelli had appointed his wife Marta as vice president, but there were legal difficulties and she was removed from that position. 

Mulino was in charge of the payroll of Realando Metas (RM) and Alianza on March 4, when the TE disqualified Martinelli for having been sentenced to 128 months in prison for money laundering in the New Business case. Mulino’s appointment was later challenged as unconstitutional, nearly putting him out of the presidential race. Finally, a few days ago, the Supreme Court of Justice declared that his candidacy was not unconstitutional, although it admitted that the TE’s actions were wrong.  Ricardo Martinelli is now at the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama, to avoid capture and imprisonment.  “A hug to Ricardo,” said Mulino, who went to the diplomatic headquarters this Sunday morning to have coffee with his friend. Although physically absent, the presence of the former president was omnipresent. The public shouted his name and Marta Linares de Martinelli was even on stage with the entire Mulino family and the president of the Alianza party, José Muñoz. “Thank you for trusting me,” Mulino told the former first lady.