Jose Raul Mulino is the favorite in the polls. Here he casts his vote in a polling station in Panama City on Sunday. Photo: Matias Delacroix / AP / NTB
Of NTB | 05.05.2024 17:54:42
Economy and business: The incumbent social democratic president Laurentino Cortizo (71) cannot run as the president in Panama can only serve one term, unlike many other countries.
Queues were long when polling stations opened on Sunday, and voters have eight candidates to choose from.
The conservative jurist Jose Raul Mulino (64) is a few horse’s heads ahead of the others in the polls, and the latest polls show a support of around 37 percent. His presidential candidacy was confirmed at the last minute when a court on Friday approved his candidacy.
Of the other seven candidates, only three have been close to 15 percent approval in a country struggling with widespread corruption, a drought in the economically important Panama Canal, and a steady stream of migrants heading north through the country in hopes of reaching the U.S. .
(© NTB)