José Raúl Mulino

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.

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 .

Mulino was Martinelli's vice-presidential candidate in the 2024 election; after Martinelli was disqualified from running amid corruption scandals, he endorsed Mulino.

Early life and legal career Mulino was born on 13 June 1959 in David, Chiriquí. He is the son of the politician and governor of the province of Chiriquí José Mulino Rovira, and the businesswoman Nelly Quintero de Mulino. His brother is the diplomat José Javier Mulino.

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. During that time he began his activism against the Panamanian military dictatorship during Manuel Noriega's regime, as a representative of various trade associations. 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. 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. 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. although some lawyers raised concern.

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. However, on 14 March he retracted his resignation, after the dismissal of Pérez from the position of police by president Martinelli. 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. 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.

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. 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. 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; however, Roux finished in a second place losing narrowly to Laurentino Cortizo.

2024 run

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.

Mulino won the election with 34.2% of the vote. He defeated a total of seven other candidates, among whom his closest rival was Ricardo Lombana of MOCA, who received around 24.6%. 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.

Presidency (2024–present) Mulino with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Panama City on 2 February 2025 Mulino was sworn in as president on 1 July 2024. 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. He applauded a Panamanian court verdict that cleared 26 defendants in a corruption investigation related to the Panama Papers. Trump and Mulino had a phone call scheduled for 7 February 2025, but the call was postponed by Trump to an unknown date "due to last-minute changes in the U.S. leader's agenda," according to U.S presidency.

On 2 January 2026, President Mulino declared the crisis with the United States to be over, stating that "Panama moved toward a relationship of respect, restored trust, joint work, and friendship, and the canal remained Panamanian."

Honours National

Foreign

Election results

2024 Presidential election