Panama's president-elect, Jose Raul Mulino, vows "fearless" action to revive the economy after securing a single-round election victory with 34% of the vote.
Mulino won the single-round, first-past-the-post race, securing 34 percent of votes cast, the Central American country’s electoral tribunal said. There were lines at many polling stations as voters in the country of 4.4 million people cast ballots for a new president, parliament and local governments.But he was made to wait for a last-minute court decision Friday that finally validated his run for a five-year term.
The Supreme Court dismissed that complaint Friday in a ruling welcomed by Martinelli, who most Panamanians believe will wield control from behind the scenes, according to a recent poll.Martinelli, who remains popular in Panama, has taken asylum at the Nicaraguan embassy, from where he campaigned for his protege.