Panama election: Panamanians vote to elect new president

PANAMA CITY (AP) — José Raúl Mulino, the stand-in candidate for disqualified ex-President Ricardo Martinelli, was on a path to victory in Panama’s presidential election Sunday night as his three closest rivals conceded.

The 64-year-old former security minister had nearly 35% of the vote, giving him a nine-point lead over other candidates. He was in line to take over leadership of a Central American country with pressing challenges and simmering discontent.

Martinelli, a firebrand politician who was barred from running after being sentenced to 10 years in prison for money laundering, threw his support behind Mulino, a 64-year-old former security minister who replaced him on the ballot as the candidate for the Achieving Goals and Alliance parties.

While lacking his ally’s charisma, Mulino coasted on Martinelli’s popularity and the booming economy seen under the former leader, who is currently holed up in the Nicaraguan Embassy, where he has sought asylum.

Mulino has promised to help Martinelli with his legal woes if he wins, usher in a new wave of economic prosperity, and stop historic levels of migration through the Darien Gap. He will also have to face the economic aftermath of mass protests last year and a drought that is handicapping the Panama Canal.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

PANAMA CITY (AP) — José Raúl Mulino, the stand-in for disqualified ex-President Ricardo Martinelli in Panama’s presidential election, took the lead in early returns Sunday night, holding 34% of the votes and a nearly 10-point lead over his four competitors.

Though only 60% of the votes had been counted, supporters in Mulino’s campaign headquarters erupted in celebration, singing and waving flags. Panama doesn’t have a runoff system, so the candidate with the biggest share of votes wins.

Eager for change after months of political turmoil and protests, Panamanians weighed promises of economic prosperity and migratory crackdowns against a corruption scandal. The election was consumed by unfolding drama surrounding the country’s former president, even though he was not on the ballot.

“Panama’s election will be one of the most complex in its modern history. The vote is marked by increased political fragmentation and social discontent under outgoing President Laurentino Cortizo,” said Arantza Alonso, senior analyst for the Americas at the risk consulting firm Verisk Maplecroft, before the polls opened.

The presidential race had been in uncertain waters until Friday morning, when Panama’s Supreme Court ruled that Mulino was permitted to run. It said he was eligible despite allegations that his candidacy wasn’t legitimate because he wasn’t elected in a primary.

Mulino joined the race late, replacing former President Ricardo Martinelli as the candidate for the Achieving Goals party. The fiery Martinelli was barred from running in March after he was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for money laundering.

Martinelli, a business tycoon who was president of Panama from 2009 to 2014, dominated much of the race. He campaigned for his former running mate from inside the walls of the Nicaraguan Embassy, where he took refuge in February after receiving political asylum. On Sunday morning, Mulino strolled into the Nicaraguan Embassy trailed by photographers and wrapped Martinelli in a big hug, saying, “Brother, we’re going to win!”

While lacking Martinelli’s spunk, Mulino coasted on his connection to the ex-president. He is rarely seen without his blue “Martinelli Mulino 2024” cap and promised to help Martinelli if elected, a pledge welcomed by the ex-president’s supporters.

Panamanians are largely fatigued by the endemic graft that plagues the country. Nonetheless, many are willing to overlook Martinelli’s prison sentence, a 2017 arrest in Florida and other corruption scandals in favor of the humming economy seen during his presidency.

Among them was Juan José Tinoco, voting from his working-class area of small, concrete houses surrounded by extravagant skyscrapers. The 63-year-old bus driver said he planned to vote for Mulino because it was the closest thing he could get to Martinelli, adding that he had earned a decent amount of money during the former president’s time in power.

“We have problems with health services, education, we have garbage in the streets … and corruption that never goes away,” Tinoco said. “We have money here. This is a country that has lots of wealth, but we need a leader who dedicates himself to the needs of Panama.”

Mulino promised to usher in another wave of economic prosperity, and stop…