Panama. President of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, highlighted this Friday the country's democratic leadership in the region, as well as its removal from tax haven lists, during his report to the Nation on the government's management in 2025. In the traditional annual address to the unicameral Parliament, the 66-year-old Mulino reviewed the achievements of his Administration—begun in July 2024—in foreign policy, economy, and social affairs, acknowledging that he had to make unpopular but necessary decisions to protect the national interest. Panama's Democratic Leadership Mulino stated that the defense of democracy, in the face of the political and social crisis in Venezuela, has positioned Panama as a regional benchmark. "The situation in Venezuela, facing a regime that caused the deepest economic, migratory, and social crisis in its recent history, forced us to take a firm stance," he said. The head of state emphasized Panama's participation in the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway, where, he said, a leadership was evident that the country had not exercised since the return to democracy. "This is not a personal assessment," affirmed Mulino, citing public statements from María Corina Machado, the King of Norway, the Norwegian Prime Minister, and the leaders of Argentina, Ecuador, and Paraguay. The Panamanian president attended the December 10 ceremony where the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Venezuelan opposition leader, a prize received by her daughter due to the leader's late arrival to the Norwegian capital. Mulino also said he had spoken with the elected president of Venezuela, Edmundo González Urrutia, expressing his hope that he will take office and close a long cycle of dictatorship. Removal from Tax Haven Lists The head of the Executive branch recalled that in July 2025, the European Parliament removed Panama from its money laundering list, after rejecting a previous list proposed by the European Commission. Panama thus ceased to appear on the list of high-risk jurisdictions, although Mulino clarified that there is still a pending European Union list, with the aim of definitively leaving it in 2026. He also thanked the president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, for removing Panama from a list in effect since 2008, and valued the disposition of the Brazilian government to do the same. Panama had already left the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) list in 2023. Economy and Educational and Constitutional Reforms Mulino highlighted the reform of the Social Security Fund, approved by 48 of the 71 deputies of the National Assembly, stating that it guarantees the financial sustainability of a key institution for Panamanians. In economic matters, he affirmed that Panama will grow close to 4% in 2025, above the regional average for Latin America (2.4%), and that inflation will remain below 1%, protecting the purchasing power of households. Regarding education, he announced the start of a participatory process to draft a new education law, tailored to current demands and the needs of youth. Finally, he reiterated the need to promote a new Constitution through an original constituent process, and confirmed the continuation of the constitutional literacy program, aimed at informing and preparing the citizenry.
