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Presidential election | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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All 71 seats in the National Assembly 36 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. |
General elections were held in Panama on 5 May 2019.[3] Due to constitutional term limits, incumbent President Juan Carlos Varela was ineligible for a second consecutive term.[4] Businessman and politician Laurentino Cortizo of the centre-left Democratic Revolutionary Party won the election with around 33% of the vote, narrowly defeating Rómulo Roux of the centre-right Democratic Change, who won 31% of the vote. The PRD also won a majority in the National Assembly.[5] The ruling Panameñista Party of President Juan Carlos Varela suffered its worst result in history.[6] Its candidate, Panama City mayor José Isabel Blandón, received only 11% of the vote and came in fourth behind independent candidate Ricardo Lombana.[5] The party also lost half its seats in the National Assembly.[6]
Incumbent President Juan Carlos Varela was elected in 2014 with 39% of the vote.[7] Polls showed him to be the second most unpopular president in Latin America by 2018, with a 57% disapproval rating.[8]
Corruption became a major issue during the campaign,[9] being the first election held after the Panama Papers leak, which exposed the extent of the country's involvement in tax evasion.[10] Investigations into mass bribery by the Brazilian company Odebrecht also took place during the preceding presidential term,[11] with the presidential administrations of Martín Torrijos, Ricardo Martinelli, and Juan Carlos Varela all being subject to scrutiny.[12] Martinelli was also investigated for wiretapping political opponents,[13] which resulted in his being disqualified in his campaigns for Assembly deputy and Panama City mayor.[14]
The President was elected through plurality vote in one round.
Of the 71 members of the National Assembly, 26 were elected in single-member constituencies and 45 by proportional representation in multi-member constituencies. Each district with more than 40,000 inhabitants formed a constituency. Constituencies elected one MP for every 30,000 residents and an additional representative for every fraction over 10,000.[15]
In single-member constituencies, MPs were elected using the first-past-the-post system. In multi-member constituencies MPs were elected using party list proportional representation according to a double quotient; the first allocation of seats used a simple quotient, further seats were allotted using the quotient divided by two, with any remaining seats are awarded to the parties with the greatest remainder.[15]
The following seven candidates contested the election:[16]
Nito Cortizo won the PRD's presidential primary, held on 16 September 2023. He defeated Assembly member Zulay Rodríguez and former President Ernesto Pérez Balladares.[17] The Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement allied itself with the PRD.[18][19] He selected José Gabriel Carrizo as his running mate.[20]
Panama City mayor José Blandón won the Panameñista primary, beating former Housing Minister Mario Etchelecu.[21] The People's Party allied itself with the Panameñista Party,[22] maintaining the alliance that had also been seen in the 2014 elections.[23] He selected Nilda Quijano as his running mate.[24]
Rómulo Roux, a former Canal Minister and Foreign Minister, won the CD presidential primary, defeating José Raúl Mulino,[25] winning 68% to Mulino's 29%.[26] He chose reporter Luis Casis as his running mate.[27]
The Alliance Party was a new political party led by Assembly member José Muñoz. José Domingo Arias, the losing CD presidential candidate in 2014, won its primary with over 90% of the vote.[28] The party later chose to ally itself with the CD candidacy of Rómulo Roux,[29] with Arias declining his presidential candidacy.[30]
Pollster | Date | Cortizo (PRD) | Roux (CD) | Lombana (IND) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gallup Panama[31] | 17–21 March 2019 | 38% | 21% | 4% |
GAD3 | 29–30 April 2019 | 36% | 26% | 20% |
Doxa Panamá | 23–28 April 2019 | 30% | 32% | 15% |
Stratmark | 22–28 April 2019 | 44% | 27% | 10% |
Candidate | Party or alliance | Votes | % | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laurentino Cortizo | Joining Forces | Democratic Revolutionary Party | 609,638 | 31.03 | ||
Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement | 45,664 | 2.32 | ||||
Total | 655,302 | 33.35 | ||||
Rómulo Roux | Change to Wake Up | Democratic Change | 564,297 | 28.72 | ||
Alliance Party | 44,706 | 2.28 | ||||
Total | 609,003 | 31.00 | ||||
Ricardo Lombana | Independent | 368,962 | 18.78 | |||
José Blandón | Panama We Can | Panameñista Party | 174,113 | 8.86 | ||
People's Party | 38,818 | 1.98 | ||||
Total | 212,931 | 10.84 | ||||
Ana Matilde Gómez | Independent | 93,631 | 4.77 | |||
Saúl Méndez | Broad Front for Democracy | 13,540 | 0.69 | |||
Marco Ameglio | Independent | 11,408 | 0.58 | |||
Total | 1,964,777 | 100.00 | ||||
Valid votes | 1,964,777 | 97.58 | ||||
Invalid/blank votes | 48,656 | 2.42 | ||||
Total votes | 2,013,433 | 100.00 | ||||
Registered voters/turnout | 2,757,823 | 73.01 | ||||
Source: Election Tribunal |
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic Revolutionary Party | 542,105 | 29.99 | 35 | +9 | |
Democratic Change | 405,798 | 22.45 | 18 | –6 | |
Panameñista Party | 312,635 | 17.30 | 8 | –8 | |
Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement | 92,340 | 5.11 | 5 | +3 | |
People's Party | 65,028 | 3.60 | 0 | –1 | |
Alliance Party | 43,670 | 2.42 | 0 | –1 | |
Broad Front for Democracy | 22,711 | 1.26 | 0 | 0 | |
Independents | 323,153 | 17.88 | 5 | +4 | |
Total | 1,807,440 | 100.00 | 71 | 0 | |
Valid votes | 1,807,440 | 92.68 | |||
Invalid/blank votes | 142,663 | 7.32 | |||
Total votes | 1,950,103 | 100.00 | |||
Source: Tribunal Electoral |
Candidate | Party or alliance | Votes | % | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
José Luis Fábrega | Joining Forces | Democratic Revolutionary Party | 156,095 | 37.87 | ||
Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement | 19,260 | 4.67 | ||||
Total | 175,355 | 42.55 | ||||
Sergio Gálvez | Change to Wake Up | Democratic Change | 117,476 | 28.50 | ||
Alliance Party | 11,343 | 2.75 | ||||
Total | 128,819 | 31.25 | ||||
Raúl Ricardo Rodriguez | Independent | 56,638 | 13.74 | |||
Adolfo Valderrama | Panama We Can | Panameñista Party | 32,962 | 8.00 | ||
People's Party | 10,302 | 2.50 | ||||
Total | 43,264 | 10.50 | ||||
Diogenes Sanchez | Broad Front for Democracy | 8,081 | 1.96 | |||
Total | 412,157 | 100.00 | ||||
Valid votes | 412,157 | 94.37 | ||||
Invalid/blank votes | 24,595 | 5.63 | ||||
Total votes | 436,752 | 100.00 | ||||
Source: Election Tribunal |
Candidate | Party or alliance | Votes | % | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hector Carrasquilla | Change to Wake Up | Democratic Change | 51,664 | 33.56 | ||
Alliance Party | 5,872 | 3.81 | ||||
Total | 57,536 | 37.38 | ||||
Cesar Sanjur | Joining Forces | Democratic Revolutionary Party | 36,693 | 23.84 | ||
Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement | 5,456 | 3.54 | ||||
Total | 42,149 | 27.38 | ||||
Gerald Cumberbatch | Panama We Can | Independent | 12,875 | 8.36 | ||
Panameñista Party | 9,275 | 6.03 | ||||
Total | 22,150 | 14.39 | ||||
Jacqueline Hurtado | People's Party | 17,810 | 11.57 | |||
Irving Dominguez | Independent | 11,123 | 7.23 | |||
Gilberto Marulanda | Broad Front for Democracy | 3,163 | 2.05 | |||
Total | 153,931 | 100.00 | ||||
Valid votes | 153,931 | 93.58 | ||||
Invalid/blank votes | 10,558 | 6.42 | ||||
Total votes | 164,489 | 100.00 | ||||
Source: Election Tribunal |
Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rollyns Rodriguez | Democratic Revolutionary Party | 31,977 | 28.00 | |
Belkis Saavedra | Democratic Change | 26,934 | 23.59 | |
Militza Palma | People's Party | 21,969 | 19.24 | |
Percival Piggott | Panameñista Party | 13,956 | 12.22 | |
Maruquel Luque | Independent | 7,277 | 6.37 | |
Victor Godoy | Independent | 4,859 | 4.26 | |
Ivan Berrio | Independent | 3,412 | 2.99 | |
Luis Pimentel | Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement | 1,794 | 1.57 | |
Denis Amaya | Broad Front for Democracy | 1,526 | 1.34 | |
Norma Estrada | Alliance Party | 489 | 0.43 | |
Total | 114,193 | 100.00 | ||
Valid votes | 114,193 | 94.52 | ||
Invalid/blank votes | 6,620 | 5.48 | ||
Total votes | 120,813 | 100.00 | ||
Source: Election Tribunal |
Candidate | Party or alliance | Votes | % | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alex Lee | Democratic Revolutionary Party | 21,826 | 22.43 | |||
Diogenes Galvan | Independent | 20,027 | 20.58 | |||
Federico Policani | Panama We Can | Panameñista Party | 14,519 | 14.92 | ||
People's Party | 4,388 | 4.51 | ||||
Total | 18,907 | 19.43 | ||||
Carlos Outten | Democratic Change | 15,794 | 16.23 | |||
Enrique Brooks Galvan | Independent | 6,645 | 6.83 | |||
Felipe Cabeza | Broad Front for Democracy | 5,759 | 5.92 | |||
Cristobal Gondola | Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement | 5,460 | 5.61 | |||
Josefina Smith | Alliance Party | 2,893 | 2.97 | |||
Total | 97,311 | 100.00 | ||||
Valid votes | 97,311 | 93.25 | ||||
Invalid/blank votes | 7,048 | 6.75 | ||||
Total votes | 104,359 | 100.00 | ||||
Source: Election Tribunal |
Candidate | Party or alliance | Votes | % | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tomás Velasquez | Joining Forces | Democratic Revolutionary Party | 31,259 | 33.68 | ||
Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement | 3,868 | 4.17 | ||||
Total | 35,127 | 37.85 | ||||
Chuin Fa Chong | Alliance Party | 24,696 | 26.61 | |||
Mario Muñoz | Democratic Change | 12,962 | 13.97 | |||
Alberto Barranco | Panama We Can | Panameñista Party | 6,746 | 7.27 | ||
People's Party | 2,699 | 2.91 | ||||
Total | 9,445 | 10.18 | ||||
Dario Gomez | Independent | 9,014 | 9.71 | |||
Armando Barrios | Broad Front for Democracy | 1,573 | 1.69 | |||
Total | 92,817 | 100.00 | ||||
Valid votes | 92,817 | 92.79 | ||||
Invalid/blank votes | 7,211 | 7.21 | ||||
Total votes | 100,028 | 100.00 | ||||
Source: Election Tribunal |
Candidate | Party or alliance | Votes | % | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Antonio Arauz | Democratic Revolutionary Party | 28,132 | 36.55 | |||
Joaquín De León | Panameñista Party | 19,428 | 25.24 | |||
Karen Caballero | Independent | Democratic Change | 8,211 | 10.67 | ||
Independent | 4,060 | 5.27 | ||||
Total | 12,271 | 15.94 | ||||
Nicolás Rivera | Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement | 6,545 | 8.50 | |||
Agustín Saldaña | Independent | Independent | 3,016 | 3.92 | ||
People's Party | 2,505 | 3.25 | ||||
Total | 5,521 | 7.17 | ||||
Amael Acosta | Independent | 3,460 | 4.50 | |||
Néstor Camargo | Alliance Party | 945 | 1.23 | |||
Tomas Armuelles | Broad Front for Democracy | 666 | 0.87 | |||
Total | 76,968 | 100.00 | ||||
Valid votes | 76,968 | 93.09 | ||||
Invalid/blank votes | 5,715 | 6.91 | ||||
Total votes | 82,683 | 100.00 | ||||
Source: Election Tribunal |
Candidate | Party or alliance | Votes | % | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Samid Sandoval | Change to Wake Up | Democratic Change | 19,102 | 35.26 | ||
Alliance Party | 1,093 | 2.02 | ||||
Total | 20,195 | 37.28 | ||||
Edward Ibarra | Democratic Revolutionary Party | 18,809 | 34.72 | |||
Victor Rodriguez | Panameñista Party | 7,245 | 13.37 | |||
Isaac Rodriguez | Independent | 4,233 | 7.81 | |||
Horacio Freeman | Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement | 1,777 | 3.28 | |||
Edilso Vega | Independent | 1,220 | 2.25 | |||
Santiago Murillo | Independent | 460 | 0.85 | |||
Edgardo Abrego | Broad Front for Democracy | 237 | 0.44 | |||
Total | 54,176 | 100.00 | ||||
Valid votes | 54,176 | 93.81 | ||||
Invalid/blank votes | 3,575 | 6.19 | ||||
Total votes | 57,751 | 100.00 | ||||
Source: Election Tribunal |
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