2024 Panamanian general election
 | This article documents a current election. Information may change rapidly as the election progresses until official results have been published. Initial news reports may be unreliable, and the last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Presidential election | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All 71 seats in the National Assembly 36 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
 |
|---|
General elections are scheduled to be held in Panama on 5 May 2024.[2][3] Due to constitutional term limits, incumbent president Laurentino Cortizo is ineligible for a second consecutive term.[4]
Front-runner Ricardo Martinelli was convicted on money laundering charges in July 2023, and the Supreme Court's rejection of his appeal on 2 February 2024 rendered him ineligible to be president.[5] José Raúl Mulino, Martinelli's choice for vice president, will be the party's candidate for President.[5]
Electoral system[edit]
Of the 71 members of the National Assembly, 26 will be elected in single-member constituencies and 45 by proportional representation in multi-member constituencies. Each district with more than 40,000 inhabitants forms a constituency. Constituencies elect one MP for every 30,000 residents and an additional representative for every fraction over 10,000.[6]
In single-member constituencies MPs are elected using the first-past-the-post system. In multi-member constituencies MPs are elected using party list proportional representation according to a double quotient; the first allocation of seats uses a simple quotient, further seats are allotted using the quotient divided by two, with any remaining seats are awarded to the parties with the greatest remainder.[6]
The President is elected through plurality vote in one round.
Presidential candidates[edit]
 | This section needs to be updated. (August 2023) |
Declared[edit]
- Rómulo Roux[7]
- José Gabriel Carrizo, current vice-president of Panama and member of Democratic Revolutionary Party.[8]
- Ricardo Lombana, former presidential candidate and leader of Movimiento Otro Camino.[9]
- Martín Torrijos, former president of Panama.[10]
- Maribel Gordón, former Vice Presidential candidate.[11]
- Zulay Rodríguez[12]
- José Raúl Mulino[13]
Disqualified[edit]
Ricardo Martinelli[edit]
In 2021, former president Ricardo Martinelli announced that he would run again for president as leader of Realizing Goals. [14] However, on July 18, 2023, a criminal court sentenced him to more than 10 years' imprisonment for money laundering, relating to the "New Business" case involving the granting of lucrative government contracts to businesses that later transferred money to a front set up by Martinelli.[15] His conviction was upheld by the Panamanian Supreme Court on February 2, 2024, making him ineligible to run again for president in elections that he wanted to contest later in the year.[16] On March 4, his candidacy was formally revoked by the Panamanian electoral tribunal, which allowed his running-mate, former foreign minister José Raúl Mulino, to run for president.[17] On May 3, the Supreme Court voted 8-1 to dismiss a legal challenge against Mulino's candidacy on the grounds that he was not selected as candidate in a party primary.[18]
Since his conviction in February 2024, Martinelli has insisted that he would continue his presidential campaign, but has since sought asylum at the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama City.[19]
Campaign[edit]
This election is being held against a backdrop of voter discontent. One poll found an 86% disapproval rating for the incumbent president and that 90% of Panamanians thing the country is on the wrong path.[20] Another found 2 out of 3 citizens wanted "radical change." The same poll found are 83% are dissatisfied with their democracy.[21]
Among significant issues during the campaign were corruption, the economy, the environment and constitutional reform, with Rómulo Roux and Ricardo Lombana pledging to revise or replace the current constitution enacted in 1972. Specifically, Lombana wants the presdential election to be decided by a run-off.[21]
The closure of the Cobre Panamá copper mine in 2023 has also become a significant issue, with all candidates supporting the Supreme Court's decision to nullify a 20-year contract awarded to First Quantum Minerals as unconstitutional. However, Lombana and Maribel Gordón have supported the total closure and conversion of the mining site altogether.[22]
On the topic of corruption, Lombana has pledged to fight the influence of drug money in Panamanian politics.[21] According to Gallup, 57% of Panamanians believe corruption is the most important issue ahead of the election.[20]
José Raúl Mulino has pledged to close the Darien Gap as a route for migrants heading to the United States and repatriate migrants already in Panama, while pledging to respect their rights.[23]
On May 3, Melitón Arrocha withdrew his candidacy for president and announced that he was supporting former president Martín Torrijos.[18]
Opinion polls[edit]
 | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
| Pollster | Date | Sample size | Mulino (RM) | Martinelli (RM) | Lombana (MOC) | Carrizo (PRD) | Roux (CD) | Blandón (PAN) | Torrijos (PP) | Other | Blank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statista Research Department | 14 March–20 March 2024 | – |
35% |
– | 12% | – | 14% | – | 15% | 19% | 5.8% | – |
| Mercadeo Planificado | 3 February–5 February 2024 | – |
26% |
– | 10.8% | 6.5% | 10.2% | – | 10.8% | – | 5.8% | |
| 2 February 2024 | Ricardo Martinelli is disqualified by the Supreme Court | |||||||||||
| Acción Ciudadana | 27 January–3 February 2024 | – | – | 40% | 11% | 4% | 8% | – | 9% | – | 3% | |
| C&E Research | 10–15 January 2024 | – | – | 30% | 12% | 10% | 14% | — | 22% | – | 3% | |
| 26 September 2023 | José Isabel Blandón renounces his candidacy to join that of Rómulo Roux | |||||||||||
| Gismo Services S.A. | 19–23 August 2023 | – | – | 29% | 5% | 28% | 13% | 10% | 7% | – | 3% | |
| C&E Research | 11 April 2023 | – | – | 44% | 10% | 3% | 8% | 5% | 18% | – | 12% | |
| Gallup Panama | 13–21 March 2023 | 1,200 | – | 62% | 12% | 1% | 7% | 4% | 9% | 5% | 24% | |
| Gismo Services | 22–23 February 2023 | 1,800 | – | 33% | 6% | 29% | 13% | 9% | — | 10% | 6% | |
| Gallup Panama | 9-16 February 2023 | 1,200 | – | 62% | 16% | 5% | 11% | 5% | — | 26% | ||
| Gismo Services | 17–23 January 2023 | 1,800 | – | 30% | 7% | 27% | 11% | 9% | — | 10% | 6% | |
| Gismo Services | 6–10 December 2022 | 1,800 | – | 32% | 9% | 28% | 12% | 9% | — | 10% | 6% | |
| Gismo Services | 3–7 September 2022 | 1,800 | – | 35% | 6% | 27% | 13% | 7% | — | — | 12% | |
| Gismo Services | 27–31 July 2022 | 1,800 | – | 34.1% | 3.4% | 26.1% | 13.6% | 6.8% | — | — | 12% | |
| Gismo Services | 7–11 May 2022 | 1,800 | – | 35.3% | 4.7% | 27.1% | 15.3% | 8.2% | — | — | 15% | |
| Gismo Services | 6–10 April 2022 | 1,800 | – | 37.1% | 3.4% | 25.8% | 14.6% | 9% | — | — | 11% | |
| Gallup Panama | 11–16 March 2022 | 1,200 | – | 56.6% | 13.3% | 7.2% | 2.4% | 6% | — | 14.4% | 17% | |
| Gismo Services | 5–10 March 2022 | 1,800 | – | 39.8% | 5.7% | 23.9% | 11.4% | 8% | — | — | 12% | |
| Gallup Panama | 5–9 February 2022 | 1,200 | – | 57.7% | 12.8% | 5.1% | 4.1% | 5.1% | — | 8% | 22% | |
| Gismo Services | 3–7 January 2022 | 1,800 | – | 44.9% | 5.6% | 22.5% | 7.9% | 5.6% | — | — | 11% | |
| Gismo Services | December 2021 | 1,800 | – | 45% | 5% | 19% | 8% | 4% | — | 10% | 9% | |
Notes[edit]
- ^ Mulino was initially nominated as Ricardo Martinelli's running mate. After Martinelli's disqualification as candidate, Mulino assumes the replacement but without a running mate by electoral disposition.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ "Tribunal Electoral inhabilita a Ricardo Martinelli como candidato presidencial". TVN Noticias (in Spanish).
- ^ "Electoral Tribunal of Panama launched General Elections Plan for 2024 with technical assistance of International IDEA". www.idea.int. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ "Panama begins registration for an advance vote in general elections - Prensa Latina". 9 March 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ^ "Decree of the electoral court for the holding of elections" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 September 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
- ^ a b https://apnews.com/article/panama-ricardo-martinelli-president-432be99db9fc43d53a4d7aa52c1b45df
- ^ a b Electoral system IPU
- ^ https://t.me/AmericaElects/324
- ^ López Lazo, Pavel (28 March 2022). "Panama´s ruling party sets course towards 2024 presidential elections – Prensa Latina". Prensa Latina. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ "Política en Panamá: Lombana reitera el llamado a los independientes a unificar una 'visión de país' hacia el 2024". TVN (in European Spanish). 7 February 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ "Martín Torrijos inicia campaña para volver a la presidencia de Panamá" [Martín Torrijos begins campaign to return to the presidency of Panama]. France 24 (in Spanish). 28 April 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ^ https://ruta2024.prensa.com/partido.php?partido=maribel_gordon&modo=candidato
- ^ https://ruta2024.prensa.com/partido.php?partido=zulay_rodriguez&modo=candidato
- ^ https://ruta2024.prensa.com/partido.php?partido=raul_mulino&modo=candidato
- ^ Pinto, Alberto (10 November 2021). "Ricardo Martinelli confirma sus aspiraciones a la Presidencia de la República en el 2024". Panamá América (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ "Panama Ex-President Martinelli is sentenced to 10 years in prison for money laundering". ABC News. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ Solís, Alma (2 February 2024). "Panama Supreme Court lets ex-President Martinelli's sentence stand, likely ending his reelection bid". Associated Press. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Panamanian electoral court bars former president Martinelli's candidacy in May elections". Associated Press. 5 March 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Panama Supreme Court rejects challenge to candidacy of presidential frontrunner days before vote". Associated Press. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ Solís, Alma (8 February 2024). "Panama ex-President Ricardo Martinelli receives political asylum from Nicaragua". Associated Press. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Poll Tracker: Panama's 2024 Presidential Election | AS/COA". www.as-coa.org. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "Years of growth forged prosaic politics. Now Panamanians are fed up". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ "Candidates confront corruption and inequality in Panama's presidential race". Al Jazeera. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Panama presidential frontrunner vows to shut jungle migrant route". France 24. 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
| Presidential elections | |
|---|---|
| Parliamentary elections | |
| Local elections | |
| Referendums | |
