Government & politics — Panama

• history: several previous;
• latest effective 11 October 1972 amendments: proposed by the National Assembly, by the Cabinet, or by the Supreme Court of Justice;
• passage requires approval by one of two procedures: 1) absolute majority vote of the Assembly membership in each of three readings and by absolute majority vote of the next elected Assembly in a single reading without textual modifications; 2) absolute majority vote of the Assembly membership in each of three readings, followed by absolute majority vote of the next elected Assembly in each of three readings with textual modifications, and approval in a referendum; amended several times, last in 2004

• chief of state: President José Raú
• l MULINO Quintero (since 1 July 2024) head of government: President José Raú
• l MULINO Quintero (since 1 July 2024) cabinet: Ca
• binet appointed by the president election/appointment process: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by simple-majority popular vote for a 5-year term; president eligible
• for a single non-consecutive term) most recent election date: 5
• May 2024 election results: 2024: José Raúl MULINO Quintero elected president; percent of vote - José Raúl MULINO Quintero (RM) 34.2%, Ricardo Alberto LOMBANA González (MOCA) 24.6%, Martín Erasto TORRIJOS Espino (PP) 16%, Alberto ROUX Moses (CD) 11.4%, Zulay RODRÍGUEZ Lu (independent) 6.6%, José Gabriel CARRIZO Jaén (PRD) 5.9%, other 1.3% 2019: Laurentino "Nito" CORTIZO Cohen elected president; percent of vote - Laurentino CORTIZO Cohen (PRD) 33.3%, Romulo ROUX (CD) 31%, Ricardo LOMBANA (independent) 18.8%, Jose BLANDON (Panameñista Party) 10.8%, Ana Matilde GOMEZ Ruiloba (independent) 4.8%, other 1.3%
• May 2029 note: the president is both chief of state and head of government

Description

unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (71 seats; 45 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies - populous towns and cities - by open list proportional representation vote and 26 directly elected in single-seat constituencies - outlying rural districts - by simple majority vote; members serve 5-year terms)

Elections

last held on 5 May 2019 (next to be held on 5 May 2024)

Election Results

• percent of vote by party - NA
• seats by party - PRD 35, CD 18, Panamenista 8, MOLIRENA 5, independent 5;

Composition

men 55, women 16, percent of women 22.5%

• highest court(s): Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (consists of 9 magistrates and 9 alternates and divided into civil, criminal, administrative, and
• general business chambers) judge selection and term of office: magistrates appointed by
• the president for staggered 10-year terms subordinate courts: appellate courts or Tribunal Superior; Labor Supreme Courts; Court of Audit; circuit courts or Tribunal Circuital (2 each in 9 of the 10 provinces); municipal courts; electoral, family, maritime, and adolescent courts

10 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 3 indigenous territories* (comarcas); Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui, Cocle, Colon, Darien, Embera-Wounaan*, Herrera, Kuna Yala*, Los Santos, Ngobe-Bugle*, Panama, Panama Oeste, Veraguas

• Alliance Party or PA [Jose MUNOZ Molina]
• Alternative Independent Socialist Party or PAIS [Jose ALVAREZ]
• Democratic Change or CD [Romulo ROUX]
• Democratic Revolutionary Party or PRD [Benicio ROBINSON]
• Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement or MOLIRENA [Francisco "Pancho" ALEMAN]
• Panamenista Party [Jose Isabel BLANDON Figueroa] (formerly the Arnulfista Party)
• Popular Party or PP [Daniel Javier BREA Clavel] (formerly Christian Democratic Party or PDC)
• Realizing Goals Party or RM [Ricardo Alberto MARTINELLI Berrocal]

• no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

BCIE, CAN (observer), CD, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, SICA, UN, UNASUR (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission

Ambassador Mari Carmen APONTE (since 21 November 2022) embassy: Building 783, Demetrio Basilio Lakas Avenue, Clayton mailing address: 9100 Panama City PL, Washington, DC 20521-9100

telephone

[507] 317-5000

FAX

[507] 317-5568

Email address and website

• Panama-ACS@state.gov
• https://pa.usembassy.gov/

chief of mission

Ambassador Ramón Eduardo MARTÍNEZ DE LA GUARDIA (since 16 September 2022)

chancery

2862 McGill Terrace NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone

[1] (202) 483-1407

FAX

[1] (202) 483-8413

Email address and website

• info@embassyofpanama.org
• https://www.embassyofpanama.org/

consulate(s) general

Houston, Miami, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Tampa, Washington DC