President Mulino´s State of the Union Speech: Messages to the voters and to the international markets

PANAMA - In Brief 02 Jul 2025 by Marco Fernandez

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Two hours after a surprise election of the Legislative Assembly's governing authorities, when a self-proclaimed opposition group to the government of José Raúl Mulino secured a narrow victory over Ricardo Martinelli's party, in a strange alliance with the deteriorating PRD, it was President Mulino's turn to address the nation to present his assessment of the first year of his administration. He began the main part of his speech by blaming Nito Cortizo´s government for financial misconduct in the management of public finances and noted that 429 distinct corruption complaints had been filed. He argued that this financial misconduct has resulted in a growing level of public debt, which has restricted the implementation of the government's plans. His central message, however, followed the tradition of previous administrations. He reviewed the projects carried out during his first year in office (which were significant) and announced progress on new projects. He reaffirmed that infrastructure investments such as the fourth bridge over the Panama Canal and the extension of the Metro de Panamá line under the Canal, which have already made significant progress, will continue. He reassured that he would continue to promote the construction of the internal railway to the province of Chiriquí, whose development and possible financing are advancing with European countries as possible partners. He supported the Panama Canal Authority in the strategy of incorporating Río Indio into the Canal watershed, which is one of the most important development projects for the future of the country. For international markets and, in part, for the local audience, he emphasized that he would not ...