Panama
Panama, 1903 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
With the backing of the United States, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903, allowing the construction of the Panama Canal to be completed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. The 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties agreed to transfer the canal from the United States to Panama on December 31, 1999. The United States invaded Panama on December 20, 1989, codenamed Operation Just Cause. On July 1, 2024, José Raúl Mulino was sworn in as Panama's new president.
Seat of power: Panama City
Rulers
Pablo Arosemena
President of Panama, 1910–1912
He became President of Panama from 5 October 1910 to 1 October 1912 as the first presidential designate, at the time of resignation of Carlos Antonio Mendoza.
Portrait of Pablo Arosemena: Bain News Service, Public domain, file
Rodolfo Chiari
President of Panama, 1924–1928
He was elected as President of Panama from 1 October 1924 to 1 October 1928. He was a Panamanian politician of the National Liberal Party.
Portrait of Rodolfo Chiari: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Harmodio Arias Madrid
President of Panama, 1931–1936
He served as acting President of Panama in January 1931 and again from 5 June 1932 to 1 October 1936, after winning the 1932 presidential election. He originally assumed the presidency after the 1931 coup d'etat against sitting president Florencio Harmodio Arosemena.
Portrait of Harmodio Arias Madrid: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Ricardo Joaquín Alfaro Jované
President of Panama, 1931–1932
He served as 16th President of Panama from January 16, 1931 to June 5, 1932. He belonged to the Liberal Party.
Portrait of Ricardo Joaquín Alfaro Jované: National Photo Company, Public domain, file
Enrique Adolfo Jiménez
President of Panama, 1945–1948
He was President of Panama from 15 June 1945 to 7 August 1948, representing the National Liberal Party of Panama. In June 1945, he was appointed president of the Republic of Panama by the Constituent National Assembly.
Portrait of Enrique Adolfo Jiménez: Vargasjurado, Public domain, file
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Arnulfo Arias
President of Panama, 1949–1951
He was a Panamanian politician, medical doctor, and writer who served as the President of Panama from 1940 to 1941, again from 1949 to 1951, and finally for 11 days in October 1968. Throughout his adult life, he warned about the increasing influence of the military in Panamanian politics and vowed to reduce that. The legislature impeached Arias, who was succeeded by Alcibiades Arosemena.
Portrait of Arnulfo Arias: Department of State. U.S. Embassy, Panama. 4/3/1964, Public domain, file
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Arístides Royo
President of Panama, 1978–1982
He was the 23rd President of Panama from October 11, 1978 to July 31, 1982, when he was pressured to resign by the military. He helped negotiate the Torrijos-Carter Treaties in 1977.
Portrait of Arístides Royo: U.S. Department of State from United States, Public domain, file
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Eric Arturo Delvalle
President of Panama, 1985–1988
He served as President of Panama from 28 September 1985 until 26 February 1988. In 1988, he attempted to remove Manuel Noriega as head of the armed forces but was himself deposed by the Legislative Assembly, going into hiding and eventually exile.
Portrait of Eric Arturo Delvalle: White House-Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Public domain, file
Guillermo Endara
President of Panama, 1989–1994
He was a Panamanian politician who served as the president of Panama from 1989 to 1994. Panama's Electoral Tribunal moved quickly to restore civilian constitutional government, reinstated the results of the May 1989 election on December 27, 1989, and confirmed the victory of President Guillermo Endara and Vice Presidents Guillermo Ford and Ricardo Arias Calderón.
Portrait of Guillermo Endara: White House Photo, Public domain, file
Mireya Moscoso
President of Panama, 1999–2004
She served as the President of Panama from 1999 to 2004. She is the country's first and to date only female president. Her administration successfully handled the Panama Canal transfer and was effective in the administration of the Canal.
Portrait of Mireya Moscoso: Embassy of United States in Panama, Public domain, file
Martín Torrijos
President of Panama, 2004–2009
He was President of Panama from 2004 to 2009. In the 2004 presidential election, he defeated Solidarity Party candidate Guillermo Endara 47% to 31%. After taking office, Torrijos passed a number of laws which made the government more transparent.
Portrait of Martín Torrijos: Ricardo Stuckert, CC BY 3.0 br, file
Ricardo Martinelli
President of Panama, 2009–2014
He served as the 36th President of Panama from 2009 to 2014. Conservative supermarket magnate Ricardo Martinelli was elected to succeed Martin Torrijos with a landslide victory in the May 2009 Panamanian general election. In 2024, Martinelli was sentenced to ten years in prison for embezzlement of public funds and money laundering related to his use of public money to buy several Panamanian media outlets in 2010.
Portrait of Ricardo Martinelli: World Economic Forum from Cologny, Switzerland, CC BY-SA 2.0, file
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Juan Carlos Varela
President of Panama, 2014–2019
He served as the 37th president of Panama from 2014 to 2019. Varela won the 2014 presidential election with over 39% of the vote against the Cambio Democrático Party led by his former political partner Martinelli, whose candidate was José Domingo Arias. He was sworn in as president on 1 July 2014.
Portrait of Juan Carlos Varela: U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Public domain, file
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Laurentino Cortizo
President of Panama, 2019–2024
He served as the 38th President of Panama from 2019 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Revolutionary Party, he was elected as president in the 2019 general election, winning 33.27% of the vote.
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José Raúl Mulino
President of Panama, 2024 to today
He has served 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. 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.
Portrait of José Raúl Mulino: 대한민국 국회, KOGL Type 1, file
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Culture
- The Panama Canal shortcut greatly reduces the time for ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, enabling them to avoid the lengthy, hazardous route around the southernmost tip of South America via the Drake Passage, the Strait of Magellan or the Beagle Channel.
- The expanded waterway began commercial operation on 26 June 2016.
- Riots broke out in early 1964, resulting in widespread looting and dozens of deaths, and the evacuation of the American embassy.
- Under Omar Torrijos's control, the military transformed the political and economic structure of the country, initiating massive coverage of social security services and expanding public education.
Picture
The Panama Canal is an artificial 82-kilometer waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean.
Image: Thoroe, CC BY-SA 2.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.