| President of the Republic of Panama | |
|---|---|
| Presidente de la República de Panamá | |
Presidential standard | |
Coat of arms of Panama | |
since 1 July 2024 | |
| Residence | Palacio de las Garzas,Panama City |
| Term length | Five years renewable once non-consecutively |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Panama (1972) |
| Inaugural holder | Manuel Amador Guerrero |
| Formation | February 20, 1904 (121 years ago) (1904-02-20) |
| Deputy | Vice President of Panama |
| Salary | 7,000 USD per month[1] |
| Website | Presidencia de la República |
Executive |
Legislature |
|
This article lists theheads of state of Panama since the short-lived first independence from theRepublic of New Granada in 1840 and the finalseparation fromColombia in 1903. Since 1904 thehead of state ofPanama has been the President of Panama.
† Died in office
| No. | Portrait | President (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Title | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 1 | Tomás de Herrera (1804–1854) | 18 November 1840 | 8 June 1841 | 202 days | Superior Chief of State | |
| (1) | 8 June 1841 | 31 December 1841 | 206 days | President | ||
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Political Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 3 | Demetrio H. Brid (1859–1917) | 3 November 1903 | 4 November 1903 | 1 day | PC | |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Political Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 4 | José Agustín Arango (1841–1909) | 4 November 1903 | 20 February 1904 | 108 days | PLN | |
| 5 | Tomás Arias (1856–1932) | Independent | ||||
| 6 | Federico Boyd (1851–1924) | PLN | ||||
| 7 | Manuel Espinosa Batista (1857–1919) | 9 November 1903 | 7 December 1903 | 28 days | PLN | |
| No. | Portrait | President (Birth–Death) | Elected | Term of office | Political Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 | Manuel Amador Guerrero (1833–1909) First tenure | 1904 | 20 February 1904 | 23 June 1907[2] | 3 years, 123 days | PC | |
| 2 | José Domingo de Obaldía (1845–1910) First tenure | — | 24 June 1907[2] | 27 December 1907[2] | 186 days | PLN | |
| (1) | Manuel Amador Guerrero (1833–1909) Second tenure | — | 29 December 1907[2] | 1 October 1908 | 277 days | PC | |
| (2) | José Domingo de Obaldía (1845–1910) Second tenure | 1908 | 1 October 1908 | 1 March 1910[†] | 1 year, 151 days | PLN | |
| — | Carlos Antonio Mendoza (1856–1916) Acting president | — | 1 March 1910 | 1 October 1910 | 214 days | PLN | |
| — | Federico Boyd (1851–1924) Acting president | — | 1 October 1910 | 5 October 1910 | 4 days | PLN | |
| — | Pablo Arosemena (1836–1920) Acting president | — | 5 October 1910 | 1 October 1912 | 1 year, 362 days | PLN | |
| 3 | Belisario Porras Barahona (1856–1942) First tenure | 1912 | 1 October 1912 | 1 October 1916 | 4 years | PLN | |
| 4 | Ramón Maximiliano Valdés (1867–1918) | 1916 | 1 October 1916 | 3 June 1918[†] | 1 year, 245 days | PLN | |
| — | Ciro Luis Urriola (1863–1922) Acting president | — | 3 June 1918 | 1 October 1918 | 120 days | PLN | |
| — | Pedro Antonio Díaz (1852–1919) Acting president | — | 1 October 1918 | 12 October 1918 | 11 days | PC | |
| (3) | Belisario Porras Barahona (1856–1942) Second tenure | 1918 | 12 October 1918 | 30 January 1920 | 1 year, 110 days | PLN | |
| — | Ernesto Tisdel Lefevre (1876–1922) Acting president | — | 30 January 1920 | 1 October 1920 | 245 days | PLN | |
| (3) | Belisario Porras Barahona (1856–1942) Third tenure | 1920 | 1 October 1920 | 1 October 1924 | 4 years | PLN | |
| 5 | Rodolfo Chiari (1869–1937) | 1924 | 1 October 1924 | 1 October 1928 | 4 years | PLN | |
| 6 | Florencio Harmodio Arosemena (1872–1945) | 1928 | 1 October 1928 | 3 January 1931 (Deposed in a coup) | 2 years, 94 days | PLN | |
| — | Harmodio Arias Madrid (1886–1963) Acting president | — | 3 January 1931 | 16 January 1931 | 13 days | Independent | |
| 7 | Ricardo Joaquín Alfaro Jované (1882–1971) | — | 16 January 1931 | 5 June 1932 | 1 year, 141 days | PLN | |
| 8 | Harmodio Arias Madrid (1886–1963) | 1932 | 5 June 1932 | 1 October 1936 | 4 years, 118 days | PNR | |
| 9 | Juan Demóstenes Arosemena (1879–1939) | 1936 | 1 October 1936 | 16 December 1939[†] | 3 years, 76 days | PLN | |
| — | Ezequiel Fernández (1886–1946) Acting president | — | 16 December 1939 | 18 December 1939 | 2 days | PNR | |
| — | Augusto Samuel Boyd (1879–1957) Acting president | — | 18 December 1939 | 1 October 1940 | 288 days | PNR | |
| 10 | Arnulfo Arias (1901–1988) First tenure | 1940 | 1 October 1940 | 9 October 1941 (Deposed in a coup) | 1 year, 8 days | PNR | |
| 11 | Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia Arango (1899–1969) | — | 9 October 1941 | 15 June 1945 | 3 years, 249 days | Independent | |
| — | Enrique Adolfo Jiménez (1888–1970) Provisional president | 1945 | 15 June 1945 | 7 August 1948 | 3 years, 53 days | PLN | |
| 12 | Domingo Díaz Arosemena (1875–1949) | 1948 | 7 August 1948 | 28 July 1949 (Resigned) | 355 days | PLN | |
| 13 | ![]() | Daniel Chanis Pinzón (1892–1961) | — | 28 July 1949 | 20 November 1949 | 115 days | PLN |
| 14 | Roberto Francisco Chiari Remón (1905–1981) First tenure | — | 20 November 1949 | 24 November 1949 | 4 days | PLN | |
| (10) | Arnulfo Arias (1901–1988) Second tenure | — | 24 November 1949 | 9 May 1951 | 1 year, 166 days | PP | |
| 15 | ![]() | Alcibíades Arosemena (1883–1958) | — | 9 May 1951 | 1 October 1952 | 1 year, 145 days | PPA |
| 16 | José Antonio Remón Cantera (1908–1955) | 1952 | 1 October 1952 | 2 January 1955 (Assassinated) | 2 years, 93 days | CPN | |
| 17 | ![]() | José Ramón Guizado (1899–1964) | — | 2 January 1955 | 29 March 1955 | 86 days | CPN |
| 18 | Ricardo Arias (1912–1993) | — | 29 March 1955 | 1 October 1956 | 1 year, 186 days | CPN | |
| 19 | ![]() | Ernesto de la Guardia (1904–1983) | 1956 | 1 October 1956 | 1 October 1960 | 4 years | CPN |
| (14) | Roberto Francisco Chiari Remón (1905–1981) Second tenure | 1960 | 1 October 1960 | 17 March 1963 | 2 years, 167 days | PLN | |
| — | ![]() | Bernardino González Ruiz (1911–2012) Acting president | — | 17 March 1963 | 23 March 1963 | 6 days | PAD |
| (14) | Roberto Francisco Chiari Remón (1905–1981) Third tenure | — | 23 March 1963 | 1 October 1964 | 1 year, 192 days | PLN | |
| 20 | ![]() | Marco Aurelio Robles (1908–1990) | 1964 | 1 October 1964 | 1 October 1968 | 4 years | PLN |
| (10) | Arnulfo Arias (1901–1988) Third tenure | 1968 | 1 October 1968 | 11 October 1968 (Deposed in a coup) | 10 days | PP | |
| — | ![]() | José María Pinilla Fábrega (1919–1979) Chairman of the Provisional Junta Ruled jointly with Bolívar Urrutia Parrilla | — | 12 October 1968 | 18 December 1969 | 1 year, 67 days | National Guard |
| 21 | ![]() | Colonel Bolívar Urrutia Parrilla (1918–2005) Ruled jointly with José María Pinilla Fábrega | — | 12 October 1968 | 18 December 1969 | 1 year, 67 days | National Guard |
| — | Demetrio B. Lakas (1925–1999) Chairman of the Provisional Junta from 1969 to 1972 | — | 19 December 1969 | 11 October 1972 | 2 years, 297 days | Independent | |
| 22 | 1972 | 11 October 1972 | 11 October 1978 | 6 years | |||
| 23 | Arístides Royo (born 1940) | 1978 | 11 October 1978 | 31 July 1982 | 3 years, 293 days | Independent (until March 1979) | |
| — | PRD | ||||||
| 24 | Ricardo de la Espriella (born 1934) | — | 31 July 1982 | 13 February 1984 | 1 year, 197 days | PRD | |
| 25 | Jorge Illueca (1918–2012) | — | 13 February 1984 | 11 October 1984 | 241 days | Independent | |
| 26 | Nicolás Ardito Barletta Vallarino (born 1938) | 1984 | 11 October 1984 | 28 September 1985 | 352 days | PRD | |
| — | Eric Arturo Delvalle (1937–2015) Acting president | — | 28 September 1985 | 26 February 1988 | 2 years, 151 days | PR | |
| — | ![]() | Manuel Solís Palma (1917–2009) Acting president | — | 26 February 1988 | 1 September 1989 | 1 year, 187 days | PRD |
| — | ![]() | Francisco Rodríguez (born 1938) Provisional president | — | 1 September 1989 | 20 December 1989 (Deposed in the US invasion) | 110 days | PRD |
| 27 | Guillermo Endara (1936–2009) | 1989 | 20 December 1989 | 1 September 1994 | 4 years, 255 days | PP | |
| 28 | Ernesto Pérez Balladares (born 1946) | 1994 | 1 September 1994 | 1 September 1999 | 5 years | PRD | |
| 29 | Mireya Moscoso (born 1946) | 1999 | 1 September 1999 | 1 September 2004 | 5 years | PP | |
| 30 | Martín Torrijos (born 1963) | 2004 | 1 September 2004 | 1 July 2009 | 4 years, 303 days | PRD | |
| 31 | Ricardo Martinelli (born 1952) | 2009 | 1 July 2009 | 1 July 2014 | 5 years | CD | |
| 32 | Juan Carlos Varela (born 1963) | 2014 | 1 July 2014 | 1 July 2019 | 5 years | PP | |
| 33 | Laurentino Cortizo (born 1953) | 2019 | 1 July 2019 | 1 July 2024 | 5 years | PRD | |
| 34 | José Raúl Mulino (born 1959) | 2024 | 1 July 2024 | Incumbent (Term ends on 1 July 2029) | 1 year, 148 days | RM | |
From 1968 to 1989 amilitary junta exerted a dictatorship over the country and nominated the president, who himself held little power. The following individuals were leaders of the junta.
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Military affiliation | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 | Brigadier-General Omar Torrijos (1929–1981) | 11 October 1968 | 31 July 1981[†] | 12 years, 293 days | National Guard | Assumed power in the1968 coup d'état. Styled asMaximum Leader of the Panamanian Revolution from 11 October 1968. Killed in anair crash. | |
| 2 | ![]() | Colonel Rubén Darío Paredes (born 1933) | 3 March 1982 | 12 August 1983 | 1 year, 162 days | National Guard | |
| 3 | General Manuel Noriega (1934–2017) | 12 August 1983 | 20 December 1989 | 6 years, 130 days | National Guard | Styled asMaximum Leader of the National Liberation from 15 December 1989. Deposed in theUS invasion. | |
| Panama Defense Forces (from 29 September 1983.) | |||||||

| Candidate | Party or alliance | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| José Raúl Mulino | Realizing Goals–Alliance | Realizing Goals | 668,527 | 29.39 | ||
| Alliance Party | 110,245 | 4.85 | ||||
| Total | 778,772 | 34.23 | ||||
| Ricardo Lombana | Another Way Movement | 559,432 | 24.59 | |||
| Martín Torrijos | People's Party | 364,576 | 16.03 | |||
| Rómulo Roux | For a Better Panama | Democratic Change | 138,274 | 6.08 | ||
| Panameñista Party | 120,544 | 5.30 | ||||
| Total | 258,818 | 11.38 | ||||
| Zulay Rodríguez | Independent | 150,338 | 6.61 | |||
| José Gabriel Carrizo | Vamos con todo Panama | Democratic Revolutionary Party | 126,454 | 5.56 | ||
| Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement | 7,337 | 0.32 | ||||
| Total | 133,791 | 5.88 | ||||
| Maribel Gordón | Independent | 24,531 | 1.08 | |||
| Melitón Arrocha | Independent | PAIS | 2,442 | 0.11 | ||
| Independent | 2,218 | 0.10 | ||||
| Total | 4,660 | 0.20 | ||||
| Total | 2,274,918 | 100.00 | ||||
| Valid votes | 2,274,918 | 97.53 | ||||
| Invalid votes | 38,544 | 1.65 | ||||
| Blank votes | 19,101 | 0.82 | ||||
| Total votes | 2,332,563 | 100.00 | ||||
| Registered voters/turnout | 3,004,083 | 77.65 | ||||
| Source: Tribunal Electoral[3][4] | ||||||