Convicted candidate's stand-in wins Panama presidency

Voters successful Panama person elected erstwhile information curate José Raúl Mulino arsenic their caller president.

Mr Mulino stepped into the statesmanlike contention precocious aft his moving mate Ricardo Martinelli was disqualified for a wealth laundering conviction.

The 64-year-old campaigned connected a committedness to "close" the Darién Gap, a agelong of jungle crossed yearly by hundreds of thousands of migrants.

After his triumph helium vowed helium was "no-one's puppet".

He primitively ran for vice-president, and contempt joining the statesmanlike contention precocious and not taking portion successful immoderate of the televised statesmanlike debates, Mr Murillo, a conservative, had enjoyed a convincing pb successful the sentiment polls.

With the preliminary number astatine much than 90%, Mr Mulino had 34% of the share, followed by anti-corruption campaigner Ricardo Lombana astatine astir 25%. Mr Lombana has conceded defeat.

Former President Martín Torrijos trailed with 16% of the vote, followed by lawyer Rómulo Roux astatine 11%. The remaining 4 candidates had little than 10% of the votes.

Mr Mulino is thought to person been propelled to triumph by voters who anticipation the state volition instrumentality to the economical roar it experienced erstwhile Ricardo Martinelli was president from 2009 to 2014.

As his pb successful the ballot number became unassailable connected Sunday, Mr Mulino told his cheering supporters: "Mission accomplished, Ricardo".

But helium besides sought to acceptable himself isolated from Martinelli, saying that helium is "no-one's puppet" and that helium would usage the fashionable mandate helium had been fixed to "work hard, precise hard for Panama".

However, aft casting his ballot connected predetermination day, Mr Mulino visited Ricardo Martinelli successful the Nicaraguan embassy, wherever the second has sought asylum to debar apprehension aft helium mislaid his entreaty against his wealth laundering conviction.

During his little campaign, Mr Mulino raised eyebrows promising to "close" the Darién Gap, the expanse of jungle connected the Panamanian-Colombian borderline which much than fractional a cardinal migrants crossed by ft connected their mode to the United States past year.

Mr Mulino volition present not lone look the situation of however to marque bully connected that committedness but besides of tackling a drought which has hampered the cognition of the Panama Canal.

The pro-business predetermination victor has said helium volition pull concern but besides nodded to immoderate of the concerns galore voters raised, including entree to drinking h2o and rising transgression rates.

He volition instrumentality implicit from the outgoing president Laurentino Cotizo connected 1 July.