José Raúl Mulino Quintero (born 13 June 1959) 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.[2]
José Raúl Mulino | |
|---|---|
.jpg){kind=spacer} Mulino in 2024 | |
| 39th President of Panama | |
| Assumed office 1 July 2024 | |
| Vice President | None[a] |
| Preceded by | Laurentino Cortizo |
| Minister of Public Security | |
| In office 14 April 2010 – 30 June 2014 | |
| President | Ricardo Martinelli |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Rodolfo Aguilera |
| Minister of Government and Justice | |
| In office 1 July 2009 – 15 July 2010 | |
| President | Ricardo Martinelli |
| Preceded by | Dilio Arcia Torres |
| Succeeded by | Roxana Méndez (as Minister of Government) |
| Minister of Foreign Relations | |
| In office 1993–1994 | |
| President | Guillermo Endara |
| Preceded by | Julio Linares |
| Succeeded by | Gabriel Lewis Galindo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 June 1959 David, Panama |
| Political party | Realizing Goals (2022–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Solidarity Party (1994–2006) Patriotic Union (2006–2011) Democratic Change (2011–2019) |
| Spouse | Marisel Cohen de Mulino |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua Tulane University (LL.M) |
Mulino served as Minister of Government and Justice from 2009 to 2010 and Minister of Public Security from 2010 to 2014, both roles in the government of President Martinelli. He served as Deputy Minister (1990–1993) and Minister of Foreign Relations (1993–1994) in the government of President Guillermo Endara. From 1994 to 1995 he was a member of the National Council of Foreign Relations and Substitute Magistrate of the Civil Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice.
Mulino was Martinelli's vice-presidential candidate in the 2024 election; after Martinelli was disqualified from running amid corruption scandals, he endorsed Mulino.[3]
Early life and legal career
editMulino was born on 13 June 1959 in David, Chiriquí.[4] He is the son of the politician and governor of the province of Chiriquí José Mulino Rovira, and the businesswoman Nelly Quintero de Mulino.[5] His brother is the diplomat José Javier Mulino.[6]
He completed primary and secondary studies at the San Vicente de Paul School, in David, Chiriquí. He graduated university with a Bachelor of Science and Letters. He later studied law and political science at the Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua, graduating in 1982. The following year he completed a master's degree in maritime law from Tulane University.[4]
After graduating in law, he dedicated himself to private professional practice in the field of maritime law, and in 1988 he became a founding partner of the Fábrega, Molino y Mulino law firm.[7] During that time he began his activism against the military dictatorship of Manuel Noriega, as a representative of various trade associations.[4]
Political career
editIn 1990 he was appointed Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, during the government of president Guillermo Endara, after the restoration of democracy. After the death of Foreign Minister Julio Linares, he became Minister of Foreign Affairs and remained in office until the end of the administration in 1994.[8][9] During his time as minister, he visited different governments and international organizations, and served as Head of the Negotiating Delegation of the Republic of Panama before the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom, for the negotiation and signing of mutual legal assistance treaties on criminal matters and crimes related to drug trafficking.[10] From 1994 to 1995 he was a member of the National Council of Foreign Relations and Substitute Magistrate of the Civil Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice.[9]
In the Martinelli government he was appointed as Minister of Government and Justice in 2009 and served only one year, to 2010 where he submitted his resignation.[11] He was thereafter appointed as Minister of Public Security from 2010 and served until the end of the administration in 2014,. He received important tasks, becoming one of president Martinellis most trusted allies.[4] As minister he reinforced security on the streets, through the application of police checkpoints, which Mulino claimed was a success as the police had managed to arrest fifteen thousand criminals trying to leave Panama,[12] although some lawyers raised concern.[13]
On 9 March 2012, he announced his resignation as Minister of Government and Justice, after disputes with the director of the National Police of Panama Gustavo Pérez, over the regulation of a new statute for security entities of the state.[14] However, on 14 March he retracted his resignation, after the dismissal of Pérez from the position of police by president Martinelli.[15][16] In July 2013, he was one of those in charge of handling the crisis of the North Korean ship Chong Chon Gang, in which Cuba was transporting war material hidden in 250,000 bags of brown sugar, but which was detained in Panamanian waters.[17] The North Korean crew members were detained and later released and deported, in addition to receiving a fine from the Panama Canal Authority and retention of war material.[18]
In 2015 he was imprisoned for allegedly committing crimes against the public administration, but in the end his case in 2016 was annulled due to procedural errors.[11]
Mulino has been involved in party politics and was the founder of the Solidarity Party, serving first as vice president and then president. He later served as the Second Vice President of the Patriotic Union. He joined Martinelli's Democratic Change in 2011 until he left the party in 2019, three years later he joined Martinelli's new founded party Realizing Goals.[4]
Presidential and vice-presidential runs
editOn 28 May 2018, he ran as a presidential candidate for Democratic Change (CD), with the purpose of regaining control of the party for former leader Martinelli, who had friction with Rómulo Roux, the new president of CD.[19] However, he lost the primaries to Roux, with whom he then, after several months of refusal, allied to support his candidacy in the 2019 elections.[20] Mulino argued that his alliance sought to return the growth, prosperity and jobs that CD had achieved during the Martinelli government, whom he also supported on his return to the country;[21] however, Roux finished in a second place losing narrowly to Laurentino Cortizo.[22]
Mulino was Martinelli's vice-presidential candidate in the 2024 elections; Martinelli, however, was disqualified from running after being sentenced to almost eleven years in prison for money laundering. As a result, Martinelli who led all polls in the follow-up to the election endorsed Mulino and Realizing Goals nominated him.[3] After the endorsement 26% of those surveyed said they would vote for Mulino in the elections, 16 points more than his immediate followers, according to the survey by the company Mercado Planificado, published by the newspaper La Prensa.[3] After Martinelli's disqualification, the Electoral Tribunal decided that the ballot for the Realizing Goals should list Mulino as "presidential candidate without a vice president."[23]
Mulino won the election with 34.2% of the vote.[24][25] He defeated a total of seven other candidates, among whom his closest rival was Ricardo Lombana of MOCA, who received around 24.6%.[26] With a turnout of 77%, the election had the highest turnout since the end of military rule and the restoration of a democratic government in 1989.[27]
Presidency
editMulino was sworn in as president on 1 July 2024.[28] During his inauguration speech, he promised the end of irregular migration through the Darién Gap. He also criticised the outgoing president Laurentino Cortizo for Panama's lagging economy and high public debt.[28]
Mulino has called the Panama Papers, which documented money laundering, corruption and tax evasion, "an international hoax to undermine the image and competitiveness of our country."[29] He applauded a Panamanian court verdict that cleared 26 defendants in a corruption investigation related to the Panama Papers.[29]
Election results
edit2024 Presidential election
edit| Candidate | Party or alliance | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| José Raúl Mulino | Realizing Goals–Alliance | Realizing Goals | 668,527 | 29.39 | ||
| Alliance Party | 110,245 | 4.85 | ||||
| Total | 778,772 | 34.23 | ||||
| Ricardo Lombana | Another Way Movement | 559,432 | 24.59 | |||
| Martín Torrijos | People's Party | 364,576 | 16.03 | |||
| Rómulo Roux | For a Better Panama | Democratic Change | 138,274 | 6.08 | ||
| Panameñista Party | 120,544 | 5.30 | ||||
| Total | 258,818 | 11.38 | ||||
| Zulay Rodríguez | Independent | 150,338 | 6.61 | |||
| José Gabriel Carrizo | Vamos con todo Panamá | Democratic Revolutionary Party | 126,454 | 5.56 | ||
| Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement | 7,337 | 0.32 | ||||
| Total | 133,791 | 5.88 | ||||
| Maribel Gordón | Independent | 24,531 | 1.08 | |||
| Melitón Arrocha | Independent | Independent Social Alternative Party | 2,442 | 0.11 | ||
| Independent | 2,218 | 0.10 | ||||
| Total | 4,660 | 0.20 | ||||
| Total | 2,274,918 | 100.00 | ||||
| Valid votes | 2,274,918 | 97.53 | ||||
| Invalid votes | 38,544 | 1.65 | ||||
| Blank votes | 19,101 | 0.82 | ||||
| Total votes | 2,332,563 | 100.00 | ||||
| Registered voters/turnout | 3,004,083 | 77.65 | ||||
| Source: Tribunal Electoral[30][31] | ||||||
Notes
edit- ^ Mulino was initially nominated for the 2024 presidential election as Ricardo Martinelli's running mate. After Martinelli's disqualification as candidate, Mulino assumed the replacement but without a running mate/vice president by electoral disposition.[1]
References
edit- ^ "Tribunal Electoral inhabilita a Ricardo Martinelli como candidato presidencial". TVN Noticias (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 5 March 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ JUAN ZAMORANO; MEGAN JANETSKY (5 May 2024). "Last-minute candidate José Raúl Mulino heads to victory in Panama presidential election". Atlanta Journal. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ a b c AFP (12 March 2024). "José Raúl Mulino Leads Panama's Presidential Race, Replacing Disqualified Martinelli". The Tico Times. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "José Raúl Mulino | Voto Informado 2024". voto2024.maga.dev. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "Chiricanos piden la libertad de José Raúl Mulino". Día a Día (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "Muere padre del ministro Mulino". www.critica.com.pa (in Spanish). 9 June 2013. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "Perfil: José Raúl Mulino Quintero". www.ecotvpanama.com (in Spanish). 12 August 2018. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ Tiempo, Redacción El (28 October 1993). "MURIÓ CANCILLER PANAMEÑO". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Su Excelencia José Raúl Mulino - TuPolitica.com" (in Spanish). 2 August 2009. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "Ministerio de Gobierno". Procuraduria General de la Nación (in Spanish). 24 January 2021. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ a b "¿Quién es José Raúl Mulino, el sustituto del expresidente Martinelli en la campaña electoral de Panamá?". Voz de América (in Spanish). 20 March 2024. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "Policía Nacional seguirá aplicando el 'pele police' en las calles". RADIO PANAMÁ (in Spanish). 27 October 2011. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "Retenes policiales y uso del pele police deben ser regulados por ley". www.critica.com.pa (in Spanish). 4 October 2011. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ Remy, HE Keo (5 November 2018), "HE KEO REMY", Seeking Justice in Cambodia, MUP, pp. 106–115, doi:10.2307/jj.5371959.12, ISBN 978-0-522-87330-6, archived from the original on 6 May 2024, retrieved 24 March 2024
- ^ "Mulino no se irá y tampoco denunciará amenaza golpista". www.laestrella.com.pa (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 February 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "Martinelli quita a Gustavo Pérez de la Policía y nombra a Julio Moltó". www.laestrella.com.pa (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 February 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "Lo que se sabe del barco norcoreano retenido en Panamá". BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). 16 July 2013. Archived from the original on 12 February 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ Panam\u00e1\/EFE (8 February 2014). "El Chong Chon Gang podrá zarpar de Panamá tras pago de multa". Panamá América (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Si soy presidente el que manda soy yo; José Raúl Mulino". RADIO PANAMÁ (in Spanish). 31 May 2018. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ Noticias, Redacción de TVN (7 August 2018). "Mulino aceptará 'la voluntad de la mayoría' en caso de no salir victorioso en primarias". Tvn Panamá (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "José Raúl Mulino y Rómulo Roux dejan sus diferencias a un lado y se unen por Cambio Democrático". Panamá América (in Spanish). 17 January 2019. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "Cortizo declared winner in Panama president race". AP News. 6 May 2019. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ Cruz, Omar De La (4 March 2024). "Tribunal Electoral inhabilita a Ricardo Martinelli como candidato presidencial". Tvn Panamá (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 5 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ Mia Alberti; Juan Carlos Paz (6 May 2024). "Panama's Mulino declared 'unofficial' winner of presidential election". CNN. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "José Raúl Mulino: Stand-in for convicted candidate wins Panama presidency". 6 May 2024. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ Valentine Hilaire; Elida Moreno (5 May 2024). "Panama's Mulino wins presidency with support from convicted former leader". Reuters. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ Morales, Claudya Carolina (12 May 2024). "¡Récord histórico! 77% del electorado votó en las elecciones del 5 de mayo". Tvn Panamá (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ a b "José Raúl Mulino sworn in as Panama's new president, promises to stop migration through Darien Gap". AP News. 1 July 2024. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Panama's new president labels Panama Papers a 'hoax' as experts voice concerns about money laundering acquittals". ICIJ. 3 July 2024.
- ^ "General Election 2024, Election of the President". Tribunal Electoral (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 May 2024.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "TE Presents Final Electoral Census" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
External links
edit
- Biography by CIDOB (in Spanish)