Panama's President José Raúl Mulino in Conflict with Electoral Tribunal

The Electoral Tribunal (TE) of Panama received a challenge against the presidential candidacy of Realizando Metas party's José Raúl Mulino, which was resolved through a Full Court Agreement in March 2024, that is, two months before the general election. This is stated in a press release issued by the TE. In turn, the Electoral Tribunal issued a statement on the matter, indicating that the Full Court of the TE "regrets and expresses its disagreement with the statements made by the President of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, during a visit to the Republic of Costa Rica, this Friday, November 21, 2025". Mulino shared last Friday that in the past elections he had told the magistrates of the Electoral Tribunal (TE) of his desire to be allowed to run as a presidential candidate, after his nomination was challenged. He adds: "The TE is respectful of the Political Constitution of the Republic and the laws. The Panamanian head of state, José Raúl Mulino, referred to the comment he made in Costa Rica about the 2024 electoral contest. The decisions that were resolved at the time during the electoral process were attended to in strict compliance with the country's legal framework." "Those who today are rending their garments, editorializing, and talking about threats to the TE are the same ones who, directly or indirectly, did not want my candidacy to be viable." The president wrote on his Instagram account: "I have thought a lot about this reaction. There are the media and opinions," stated the head of state in a public message on his X account. He added: "I had to defend it against a whole powerful and entrenched system that does not rest even today." "Today's is the typical hypocrisy that distinguishes them and the poverty of opportunism that characterizes them, many of whom did not exist as actors and today are protagonists of their own stature."