Panama

Economics

Politics

Panamanian presidential candidate Jose Raul Mulino of the conservative Realizing Goals party won Panama's May 5 election with nearly 35% of the vote and a 9% lead on the next closest candidate, anti-corruption candidate Ricardo Lombana, according to unofficial results issued by Panamanian authorities, AP reported on May 6.

Panama: Ally of Convicted Former President Wins Election

Military & Security

Panama’s Electoral Tribunal blocked former President Ricardo Martinelli from running in the country’s May 29 presidential election due to his money laundering conviction, Reuters reported on March 4.

Panama: Electoral Tribunal Blocks Former President From Seeking Reelection

The Panama Canal Authority said it sees no need to implement further restrictions on daily vessel transits until the authority evaluates water levels at the end of the dry season in April, Reuters reported on Feb. 7.

Panama: Canal Authority Will Not Implement Further Transit Restrictions Through April

Nicaragua

Nicaragua granted Ricardo Martinelli, a former Panamanian president and current presidential candidate, asylum after Panama's Supreme Court upheld a 10-year prison sentence against him for a money laundering charge, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 7.

Panama: Former President Given Asylum in Nicaragua

Panama's Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the National Assembly's approval of a contract with Canadian mining firm First Quantum Minerals Ltd. in October was unconstitutional, Reuters reported on Nov 28.

Panama: High Court Rules Mining Contract Unconstitutional, Cobre Panama Mine Closes

Barbados

Canada

Chile

Colombia

Costa Rica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Mexico

Peru

United States

Uruguay

China

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Governments from the United States, Barbados, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Uruguay pledged to promote sustainable supply chains and boost trade across the region during the inaugural Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity Leaders' Summit, Reuters reported on Nov. 3.

Americas: Governments Pledge to Boost Trade, Promote Sustainable Supply Chains

The Panama Canal Authority announced that it will further decrease daily crossings due to limited water supplies related to the drought, Reuters reported on Oct. 31.

Panama: Panama Canal Authority Further Decreases Daily Transit

President Laurentino Cortizo on Oct. 29 announced that a Dec. 17 national referendum would decide the fate of a 20-year open pit mining concession awarded to Canadian minerals company First Quantum Minerals, Reuters reported Oct. 29.

Panama: President Calls Referendum to Decide Fate of Canadian Copper Contract

Assessments

Chad

France

Serbia

Hungary

Russia

Panamanian presidential candidate Jose Raul Mulino on May 1, 2024, in Panama City. Panamanians will vote May 5 to select their next president and all 71 members of the National Assembly.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Panama Holds General Elections, Xi Visits Europe

Panama presidential candidate Jose Raul Mulino of the conservative Realizing Goals party gestures during a campaign rally in Panama City on April 28, 2024. 

The Central American country's next president will take office at a time of deepening economic challenges and political tensions, creating business uncertainty and unrest risks in the years ahead.


Previewing Panama's Presidential Election

Argentina

Brazil

El Salvador

Flooding on the Rimac River on March 18, 2017, in Chosica, at the foot of the Andes east of Lima, Peru. The current El Nino contributed to floods, crop failure, heat waves and drought across Latin America in 2023, and its effects will persist until it lifts in the second quarter of 2024.

The current El Nino contributed to floods, crop failure, heat waves and drought across Latin America in 2023, and its effects will persist until it lifts in the second quarter of 2024.

How El Nino Will Impact Latin America in 2024

Columns

On Security

Guatemala

Policemen guard the car of Mayor Luis Chonillo after an attack on the official May 15, 2023, in Duran, Ecuador. Governments can take steps to stave off a surge in violence, but for many in the region, such measures will be politically and economically out of reach.

Governments can take steps to stave off a surge in violence, but for many in the region, such measures will be politically and economically out of reach.

Forecasting Latin America's Next Crime Hotspot After Ecuador

Snapshots

Social Issues

Strained government resources, increased organized crime, political tensions and supply chain disruptions are likely to rise in tandem with migration.

How Record Migration Will Impact Central America

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Europe

Cargo ships waiting to enter the Panama Canal are seen off the coast of Panama City on Aug. 23, 2023. 

Efforts to preserve the canal's low water levels have caused a traffic jam of cargo vessels, but the impact on shipping times and costs will be modest if the disruptions are short-lived.

Drought Restrictions at the Panama Canal Create Shipping Headaches

Guidance

Sudan

North Korea

South Korea

Belarus

Bahrain

Israel

Oman

Qatar

United Arab Emirates

A woman wearing a face mask holds the former flag of Belarus at an anti-government protest in Minsk on Aug. 14, 2020. 

COVID-19

Security

Israel's Survival Strategy

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

Coping With a Nuclear North Korea

The Fight for Russia’s Borderlands

China in Transition

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended Stratfor articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Normalized UAE-Israel Ties, Mass Protests in Belarus

Venezuela's Unraveling

On the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Brazilian President Michel Temer, where the two may address several outstanding trade issues between their countries, including a recent tariff quota imposed by Brazil on U.S. ethanol imports.

U.S., Brazil: Dinner and a Dialogue on Trade Issues

Gambia

Japan

Taiwan

China Puts the Squeeze on Taiwan

With an uncooperative administration in Taipei, Beijing is working to isolate the island.

Media

Poland

Videos

Ahead of Stratfor's next issue of Compass, which will be published May 2, Managing Editor Cole Altom discusses tax havens, Poland's economy and trade between Israel and China.

Compass Preview: May 2016

Sub-Saharan Africa

Angola

Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

South Africa

Venezuela

United Kingdom

Iceland

Eurasia

Ukraine

Azerbaijan

Georgia

Kazakhstan

Middle East and North Africa

Iran

Iraq

Jordan

Palestinian Territories

Syria

Egypt

South Asia

India

Pakistan

No Shelter From the Panama Papers

So far, the data has implicated people in nearly every region of the world.

Those Who Are (and Are Not) Sheltered From the Panama Papers

Reflections

Leaks reveal the extent of hidden wealth and could provide impetus to shut down tax havens.

Panama Papers: A Rude Awakening for the World's Wealthy

Panama is a small Central American country located between Colombia and Costa Rica that serves as a key chokepoint for global trade. Home to the 50-mile Panama Canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and shortens maritime shipping routes by thousands of miles, the country boasts a strategic importance that far outweighs its small size.     Foreign powers have utilized Panama's strategic location for centuries. The Spanish used the country to move valuable exports, such as gold, from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and France attempted and failed to build a canal there in the late 19th century. During that time, Panama was Colombia's northernmost province, but around the turn of the century, the United States had begun expanding its influence in the Caribbean and recognized Panama's potential importance to global trade. The United States helped Panamanian rebels secede from Colombia in 1903, and it completed the transoceanic Panama Canal within the following decade. It also heavily influenced the newly independent republic's internal affairs, directly controlling the land around the Panama Canal until 1979. Indeed, most of the country's population lives in the area formerly controlled by the United States.     Nearly 12,000 ships pass through the Panama Canal every year, including container vessels, energy tankers, bulk cargo ships and naval vessels. Many of the largest ships in the world, such as liquefied natural gas tankers, oil tankers and some container ships, cannot pass through the canal. But despite that challenge, Panama will remain geopolitically important because it is still one of the few routes by which ships can shorten their transit time between the oceans.

SITUATION REPORTS

Panama: Ally of Convicted Former President Wins Election

Panama: Electoral Tribunal Blocks Former President From Seeking Reelection

Panama: Canal Authority Will Not Implement Further Transit Restrictions Through April

Panama: Former President Given Asylum in Nicaragua

Panama: High Court Rules Mining Contract Unconstitutional, Cobre Panama Mine Closes

Americas: Governments Pledge to Boost Trade, Promote Sustainable Supply Chains

Panama: Panama Canal Authority Further Decreases Daily Transit

Panama: President Calls Referendum to Decide Fate of Canadian Copper Contract

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