The board of directors is not legally required to make a decision until September when the current process expires. However, due to the importance of the position, the relevance of the route in times of geopolitical tensions, and the projects underway at the Canal, such as the Indio River reservoir and the bidding for two ports, this is the only topic being discussed within and outside the waterway. Unofficially, at least three possible candidates have been mentioned: José Ramón Icaza, the current Canal minister and a board member, who quickly dropped out of the race as he did not resign from his post. It has also been rumored that the current administrator, appointed in 2019 for a seven-year term ending in 2026, might be considering re-election. Another profile that is now gaining more traction is that of Ilya Espino de Marotta, who confirmed on television that there is a shortlist of three candidates being evaluated. In the program 'Cuarto Power,' by journalists Atenógenes and Guido Rodríguez, Espino was asked about the issue. She is in charge of the country's most important water project, the Indio River reservoir, which promises to supply water for human consumption and for the operations of the Panama Canal. Thus, the decision is moving on three levels: a defined shortlist, a candidate who admits to being in the race, and the possibility of the current administrator's continuity. An engineer with over 40 years of experience, she led the Canal expansion—the most important work on the waterway in decades—and currently holds the position of Deputy Administrator, the second-highest rank. The current Deputy Administrator of the Canal responded, 'That is the responsibility of the board of directors.' 'You are being strongly mentioned,' they insisted. Her response was: 'Well, it's 40 years in the Canal.' The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is in the decisive phase for the selection of its next administrator, who must be in position by the end of September. However, the process is advancing without public information by the end of March, in marked contrast to what happened in 2019, when the current administrator, Ricaurte Catín Vásquez, was selected. In 2019, the ACP board not only announced Vásquez's appointment months in advance (on February 15), but also detailed the process. It was then explained that the board had previously defined the strategic objectives of the waterway and the profile of the position, and had carried out a broad search for Panamanian candidates, both inside and outside the institution. It was even reported that after evaluating different firms, consultants (which turned out to be the company Korn Ferry) were hired to assist in the identification and evaluation of candidates under international standards. The process included an initial broad list, then a reduction to 20 candidates evaluated for competencies, experience, and leadership, and finally a selection of six finalists subjected to technical tests, interviews, simulations, and analysis of business cases based on the Canal's challenges. None of that has been said—at least publicly—this time. Espino then replied: 'Yes, yes, I am in the shortlist.' Her statement could confirm that the process has already passed the broad evaluation stage and is in its final stretch. Espino is one of the most solid figures within the ACP. 'But you are in the game,' they asked her. 'It's like my second home.'
