Panama president-elect Mulino seeking to make his own mark

PANAMA CITY: Panama’s President-elect Jose Raul Mulino told a cheering crowd moments after he won Sunday’s general election that he was “no one’s puppet”, having parachuted into the presidential race late to replace his former boss Ricardo Martinelli who was barred from running after a money laundering conviction.

Mulino is widely regarded as gruff and less charismatic than ex-president Martinelli whose popularity propelled Mulino to victory on Sunday night. Before the election, Mulino was best known for his tough stance against anti-government protesters during his time as security minister under Martinelli’s administration which governed from 2009 to 2014.

Martinelli, who was leading the polls before he was banned from running in March because of a money-laundering conviction, campaigned for Mulino from the Nicaraguan embassy, where he was granted asylum following his conviction.“Martinelli is Mulino and Mulino is Martinelli” was even one of the main campaign slogans. But governing in his shadow could be a different challenge.