Zulay Rodríguez

Zulay Rodríguez Lu (Chinese: 罗淑丽; born June 20, 1969) is a Panamanian lawyer, professor, and politician of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD). She is a former deputy for Circuit 8–6 and was the First Vice President of the National Assembly.

Biography Zulay Rodríguez is the daughter of prominent teacher Gladis Lu and former Attorney General Rafael Rodríguez. She earned her degree in law and political science cum laude at the Santa María La Antigua Catholic University (USMA) in 1992. She has worked as a professor of human rights and politics, social thought, and criminal law at the USMA, as well as the USMA postgraduate program in human rights. On September 4, she presented 14 proposals that she would implement if she were elected president of Panama, ranging from agricultural measures to the equitable distribution of wealth. In the PRD primary, held on September 16, 2018, Rodriguez received 18% of votes, surpassed by Laurentino Cortizo with 68%, and finishing ahead of former President Ernesto Pérez Balladares, who ranked third with 7%. On July 1, 2019, Rodríguez was elected First Vice President of the National Assembly.

On July 9, 2019, after being reelected deputy, she gained media attention by presenting a draft law with various restrictions and regulations regarding immigration status also got notorious because she was notorious for her particular support to ex-president Ricardo Martinelli. The requirements to attain legal immigration status in Panama considered in the law would be residence, proven economic solvency, registration in social security, and payment of taxes, thus "tightening" the measures within the 2008 Decree Law on the National Migration Service.

She ran for presidency during the 2024 general election as an independent along with her running mate Athenas Athanasiadis. She lost after receiving 150,338 votes or 6.61% of the total vote.