Angela Russo Mainieri, the new Ombudsman and former magistrate of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ), stated that she will assume her new position this Thursday, after being sworn in on Monday. The swearing-in was administered by the President of the National Assembly, Deputy Jorge Luis Herrera, accompanied by the Secretary General, Carlos Alvarado. This ceremony was carried out in compliance with constitutional and legal norms, after Russo was elected with 37 votes in the Plenary session for the 2026-2031 period last Thursday. The ceremony was held in accordance with Article 5 of Resolution No. 45 of March 9, 2026, which states that once the election process is completed, the designated person for the position must be sworn in before the President of the National Assembly. Russo expressed that she assumes the office with great responsibility, aware of what this work entails, respecting the institution and committed to all the people who make up Panamanian society. Russo highlighted that one of her main priorities will be the strengthening of the Ombudsman's institution, carrying out a comprehensive diagnosis that will include visits to the different headquarters, with the aim of knowing the available resources and optimizing their use. 'The first thing I must do is to get to know the institution in depth, evaluate its capacities and guarantee that the resources are used effectively, in order to be able to provide timely and quality responses to citizens,' she concluded.
