Panamanians are participating in a general election, marked by the disqualification of leading candidate due to a money laundering conviction.
Former President Ricardo Martinelli, initially favoured to win, was disqualified, leading to José Raúl Mulino taking his place on the ballot and currently leading in polls.
The candidate with the most votes will become president and be inaugurated on July 1st.
Eight contenders are vying for the presidency, while voters will also elect members of Panama’s national assembly.
As incumbent President Laurentino “Nito” Cortizo cannot run for re-election, the frontrunner, José Raúl Mulino, leads in opinion polls.
The 64-year-old lawyer from the Realizando Metas (Achieving Goals) party served as Mr. Martinelli’s running mate.
However, following Mr. Martinelli’s money laundering conviction, Mr. Mulino entered the presidential race.
Yet, his candidacy has encountered legal hurdles, with Panama’s top court tasked to determine if his selection, bypassing the customary primary election, undermines his candidacy.
On Friday, a mere two days before the election, the court ultimately ruled in favor of Mr. Mulino’s candidacy, deeming it constitutional.
Mr. Mulino enjoys the support of his former running mate, Ricardo Martinelli, who has resided in the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama City since February, where he was granted political asylum.
From a confined space within the embassy, Martinelli has been disseminating video messages in support of Mr. Mulino, who previously served as his interior and security minister.
The 60-year-old is campaigning under the slogan “Safe Change”. He has promised investment in the Panama Canal, one of the main drivers of Panama’s economy.
He is standing for the People’s Party, which he joined last year after leading the Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD).
Rómulo Roux, 59, a former president of the Panama Canal’s board of directors is running for the national presidency for the second time, after losing to current President Laurentino Cortizo in 2019.
The lawyer, who is standing for the Democratic Change party says that if he elected, he would implement an “aggressive” job creation scheme and improve public services.
He has also said that he would not back the reopening of a controversial copper mine, even though he worked for the law firm which represented the mine.
The closure of the mine was announced last year after mass protests shook the country.
Another candidate who is trying to reach the presidency for a second time is Ricardo Lombana.
The 49-year-old lawyer ran as an independent in 2019 and is standing for the Other Way Movement this time.
Mr Lombana has dismissed Mr Mulino’s promise to “close” the Darién Gap, telling Spanish news agency Efe that “migration, ever since humankind exists, is not stopped by walls”.
He instead is proposing to improve security conditions for the migrants who cross Panama on their way north.
Polls will open at 07:00 local time (12:00 GMT) and close nine hours later. Preliminary results are expected to come in soon after the polls close.
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