TheLittleTwentieth – Renowned Papers Edition, AI Infused

Local sources from Colombia: BBC.com, La República.
UK coverage: BBC.

Panama is set to hold its presidential election after the front-runner, Jose Mulino, was sentenced for illegal wiretapping. Despite recent opinion polls favoring Mulino, a significant number of registered voters have not yet decided whom to vote for, leaving room for his rivals to still have a chance at winning. The election will determine the country’s next leader and shape its political landscape.

Lawyer José Raúl Mulino emerged as the winner of Sunday’s presidential elections in Panama, according to official results. Mulino, candidate of the Save Panama alliance, has secured 34.41% of the votes, followed by Ricardo Lombana of the Another Path Movement (MOCA), who has accumulated 24.96%, according to data from the Electoral Tribunal with over 94% of the votes counted.

Mulino’s victory was officially announced by the President of the Electoral Tribunal, Alfredo Juncá, during a video call with Mulino, in which he expressed his satisfaction with the results and stated that he accepts them with responsibility and humility. “It implies an enormous weight on my shoulders that I receive with pleasure,” he said.

Although he was favored in the polls, Mulino only entered the presidential race a couple of months ago when he replaced former President Ricardo Martinelli, who was disqualified from running after being convicted of money laundering. Martinelli sought asylum at the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama to avoid arrest and was visited there by Mulino on the same Sunday.

Mulino, a 64-year-old lawyer specializing in maritime law from Tulane University in New Orleans, quickly gained ground in the polls, according to analysts, thanks to a specific strategy: promising voters that Panama will regain the economic boom and high levels of job creation that characterized Martinelli’s government (2009-2014).

During Martinelli’s tenure, Mulino served as Minister of Government and Justice. He later assumed the position of Minister of Public Security, a newly created portfolio that brought together all security agencies.

Mulino has claimed that during his tenure as Minister of Public Security, he expelled the extinct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group from the Darien jungle, a claim disputed by some experts who argue that it was during that time that irregular migration through the dense jungle, located on the border with Colombia, began.

Mulino’s victory comes with several challenges for the new government. Panama’s credit rating has been downgraded to speculative grade, and the country is facing a slowdown in growth, low water levels in the Panama Canal, and the closure of a major copper mine. The reopening of the mine will be vital to maintain investor support and boost the economy.

Despite the controversies surrounding Mulino’s candidacy, he has outlined a series of proposals focused on economic recovery, infrastructure development, and addressing the issue of migration from Darien. His victory in the election will shape the future of Panama’s political landscape and determine the direction of the country for the next few years.