The politics of Panama take place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic with multi-party system, whereby the President of Panama is both head of state and head of government.
The Central American Parliament, also known as PARLACEN, is the political institution and parliamentary body of the Central American Integration System (SICA). Its headquarters are in Guatemala City.
Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal is a Panamanian politician and businessman who served as the 36th President of Panama from 2009 to 2014.
The Democratic Revolutionary Party is a centre-left political party in Panama founded in 1979 by General Omar Torrijos. It held the presidency from 2019 to 2024 under Laurentino Cortizo.
The Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement is a centre-right conservative-liberal political party in Panama.
The People's Party is a Panamanian Christian democratic political party. Founded in 1956, it was made up of middle-class professionals, intellectuals and students, with support from trade unions, particularly the Federation of Christian Workers. It went on to become one of Latin America's most conservative and anti-communist Christian democratic parties. The ideological foundation of the party is based on the social doctrine of the Catholic Church. The PP is a full member of the Christian Democrat International and Christian Democratic Organization of America.
Democratic Action is a Venezuelan social democratic and centre-left political party established in 1941. The party played an important role in the early years of Venezuelan democracy, leading the government during Venezuela's first democratic period (1945–1948). A decade of dictatorship under Marcos Pérez Jiménez followed, which saw AD excluded from power. With the advent of democracy in 1958, four Presidents of Venezuela came from Acción Democrática from the 1950s to the 1990s during the two-party period with COPEI.
The Christian Democratic Party is a Salvadoran political party. From 2011 to 2012, the party was renamed to Party of Hope before reverting to the Christian Democratic Party. The PDC has been led by Reinaldo Carballo since 2023.
The Panameñista Party is a nationalist political party in Panama. It was the third largest party by number of adherents with 256,138 members.
Juan Carlos Varela Rodríguez is a Panamanian businessman and former politician who served as the 37th president of Panama from 2014 to 2019. Varela previously was the vice president of Panama from 2009 to 2014 and Minister of Foreign Relations from 2009 to 2011 under President Ricardo Martinelli. He presided over the Panameñistas, the third-largest political party in Panama, from 2006 to 2016.
José Domingo Arias Villalaz is a Panamanian economist and politician, and was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2014 presidential elections.
General elections were held in Panama on 4 May 2014. Due to constitutional term limits, Incumbent President Ricardo Martinelli was ineligible for a second consecutive term. Incumbent Vice President Juan Carlos Varela of the Partido Panameñista was declared the victor with 39% of the votes.
General elections were held in Panama on 5 May 2019. Due to constitutional term limits, incumbent President Juan Carlos Varela was ineligible for a second consecutive term. Businessman and politician Laurentino Cortizo of the centre-left Democratic Revolutionary Party won the election with around 33% of the vote, narrowly defeating Rómulo Roux of the centre-right Democratic Change, who won 31% of the vote. The PRD also won a majority in the National Assembly. The ruling Panameñista Party of President Juan Carlos Varela suffered its worst result in history. Its candidate, Panama City mayor José Isabel Blandón, received only 11% of the vote and came in fourth behind independent candidate Ricardo Lombana. The party also lost half its seats in the National Assembly.
The Alliance Party is a centre-right political party in Panama.
Rómulo Alberto Roux Moses is a Panamanian politician, lawyer, and businessman chairman of the party Democratic Change since January 2018. He was the party's candidate for the 2019 general election. He ran again in the 2024 general election, and received 11.38% of the total vote.
Realizing Goals is a conservative political party in Panama. It was recognized by the Electoral Tribunal of Panama on 24 March 2021. The party is led by the former president of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli. As of February 2023, the party had 234,634 members. It has been the ruling party since José Raúl Mulino was sworn in as president on 1 July 2024.
General elections were held in Panama on 5 May 2024 to elect a new President of Panama, members of the National Assembly and local governments. Due to constitutional term limits, incumbent president Laurentino Cortizo was ineligible for a second consecutive term. The winners of the general election, including the new president of Panama, were inaugurated on 1 July.
Colombia Justa Libres is a right-wing Colombian political party founded in 2017 that groups the majority of evangelical denominations in the country together. This includes, among others, Assemblies of God, Foursquare Church, Peace Mission to the Nations, and Spring of Eternal Life. During the 2018 Colombian parliamentary election, four of its members were elected to the Congress of Colombia. After the 2022 legislative election, the party formed the Nos Une Colombia coalition with the MIRA. It has the slogan "Let's do it together!" and a youth wing known as "RUGE!".
The Another Way Movement is a political party in Panama, recognized by the Electoral Tribunal of Panama on 29 June 2022. The leader of the party is former presidential candidate Ricardo Lombana. The party has 46,615 adherents.
José Raúl Mulino Quintero is a Panamanian politician, diplomat and lawyer serving as the 39th president of Panama since 2024. He ran for president in the 2024 Panamanian election, which he won with 34% of the vote as the Realizing Goals candidate and a substitute for former President Ricardo Martinelli.
