Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino confirmed this Thursday that the Government will decide in the first quarter of 2026 what will happen with the currently paralyzed mine. The mine was shut down by a Supreme Court ruling in November 2023 following weeks of massive protests that paralyzed the country. The court ruling annulled the contract signed by the then-government and the company First Quantum. Mulino stated that the Government will make a decision once the comprehensive audit is concluded. "We are living with the unemployment that the mine generated; that 5% of GDP is not small, ... the country is suffering from it," he said during his weekly press conference. The mine's closure left a major source of employment and supply chains in several provinces inactive. While economic sectors have warned of the labor and fiscal impact of the shutdown, citizen groups and environmental organizations insist that the court's ruling must be respected and have reiterated their rejection of reviving the mining activity. Mulino also indicated that his administration is conducting technical, economic, and legal evaluations to chart the path forward.
