Panama will elect a president and all 71 legislature seats on May 5. The former president and money laundering convict, Ricardo Marinelli, is leading a crowded field of candidates.
Martinelli is appealing against his 11-year prison sentence. Should he lose, he will be barred from running for office, which would pit Martín Torrijos, another former president, against Ricardo Lombana, who leads a new centrist political movement focused on austerity and anti-corruption.
The race is also being shaped by protests over a contract signed between a Canadian mining company and the government, that could take away 5% of Panama’s GDP.
Protesters are fighting for the mining money to stay in Panama. The Supreme Court has ruled the contract unconstitutional, but the government worries renigging on the deal could hurt foreign investment in the future.
Panama’s next president must address protesters’ myriad demands, starting with improving the quality of public services and government transparency. The leading candidates have all supported the Supreme Court’s ruling and will try to ride widespread anger against the contract and the government to win in May.