President of the Republic of Panama
Presidente de la República de Panamá
Presidential standard
Coat of arms of Panama
Incumbent Laurentino Cortizo since 1 July 2019
Residence	Palacio de las Garzas, Panama City
Term length	Five years, renewable once non-consecutively
Precursor	Martín Torrijos
Inaugural holder	Manuel Amador Guerrero
Formation	20 February 1904
Deputy	Vice President of Panama
Salary	7,000 USD per month^[1]
Website	Presidencia de la República

Politics of Panama


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v t e

This article lists the heads of state of Panama since the short-lived first independence from the Republic of New Granada in 1840 and the final separation from Colombia in 1903.

Free State of the Isthmus (1840–1841)

No.	Portrait	President (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Notes
No.	Portrait	President (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Notes
1		Juan López (1823–1874)	18 November 1840	20 March 1841	122 days	Superior Civil Chief
2		Tomás de Herrera (1804–1854)	20 March 1841	8 June 1841	80 days	Superior Chief of State
(2)		Tomás de Herrera (1804–1854)	8 June 1841	31 December 1841	206 days	President

Republic of Panama (1903–present)

President of the Municipal Council of Panama and de facto President (1903)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political Party
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political Party
3		Demetrio H. Brid (1859–1917)	3 November 1903	4 November 1903	1 day	Conservative Party

Members of the Provisional Government Junta (1903–1904)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political Party
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political Party
4		José Agustín Arango (1841–1909)	4 November 1903	20 February 1904	108 days	National Liberal Party
5		Tomás Arias (1856–1932)				Independent
6		Federico Boyd (1851–1924)				National Liberal Party
7		Manuel Espinosa Batista (1857–1919)	9 November 1903	7 December 1903	28 days	National Liberal Party

Presidents of Panama (1904–present)

No.	Portrait	President (Birth–Death)	Elected	Term of office			Political Party	Notes
No.	Portrait	President (Birth–Death)	Elected	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political Party	Notes
1		Manuel Amador Guerrero (1833–1909)	1904	20 February 1904	23 June 1907^[2]	3 years, 123 days	Conservative Party
2		José Domingo de Obaldía (1845–1910)	—	24 June 1907^[2]	27 December 1907^[2]	186 days	National Liberal Party
(1)		Manuel Amador Guerrero (1833–1909)	—	29 December 1907^[2]	1 October 1908	277 days	Conservative Party
(2)		José Domingo de Obaldía (1845–1910)	1908	1 October 1908	1 March 1910	1 year, 151 days	National Liberal Party	Died in office.
—		Carlos Antonio Mendoza (1856–1916)	—	1 March 1910	1 October 1910	214 days	National Liberal Party	Acting President.
—		Federico Boyd (1851–1924)	—	1 October 1910	5 October 1910	4 days	National Liberal Party	Acting President.
—		Pablo Arosemena (1836–1920)	—	5 October 1910	1 October 1912	1 year, 362 days	National Liberal Party	Acting President.
3		Belisario Porras Barahona (1856–1942)	1912	1 October 1912	1 October 1916	4 years	National Liberal Party	First tenure.
4		Ramón Maximiliano Valdés (1867–1918)	1916	1 October 1916	3 June 1918	1 year, 245 days	National Liberal Party	Died in office.
—		Ciro Luis Urriola (1863–1922)	—	3 June 1918	1 October 1918	120 days	National Liberal Party	Acting President.
—		Pedro Antonio Díaz (1852–1919)	—	1 October 1918	12 October 1918	11 days	Conservative Party	Acting President.
(3)		Belisario Porras Barahona (1856–1942)	1918	12 October 1918	30 January 1920	1 year, 110 days	National Liberal Party	Second tenure.
—		Ernesto Tisdel Lefevre (1876–1922)	—	30 January 1920	1 October 1920	245 days	National Liberal Party	Acting President.
(3)		Belisario Porras Barahona (1856–1942)	1920	1 October 1920	1 October 1924	4 years	National Liberal Party	Third tenure.
5		Rodolfo Chiari (1869–1937)	1924	1 October 1924	1 October 1928	4 years	National Liberal Party
6		Florencio Harmodio Arosemena (1872–1945)	1928	1 October 1928	3 January 1931	2 years, 94 days	National Liberal Party	Deposed in a coup d'état.
—		Harmodio Arias Madrid (1886–1963)	—	3 January 1931	16 January 1931	13 days	Independent	Acting President.
7		Ricardo Joaquín Alfaro Jované (1882–1971)	—	16 January 1931	5 June 1932	1 year, 141 days	National Liberal Party
8		Harmodio Arias Madrid (1886–1963)	1932	5 June 1932	1 October 1936	4 years, 118 days	National Revolutionary Party
9		Juan Demóstenes Arosemena (1879–1939)	1936	1 October 1936	16 December 1939	3 years, 76 days	National Liberal Party	Died in office.
—		Ezequiel Fernández (1886–1946)	—	16 December 1939	18 December 1939	2 days	National Revolutionary Party	Acting President.
—		Augusto Samuel Boyd (1879–1957)	—	18 December 1939	1 October 1940	288 days	National Revolutionary Party	Acting President.
10		Arnulfo Arias (1901–1988)	1940	1 October 1940	9 October 1941	1 year, 8 days	National Revolutionary Party	First tenure. Deposed in a coup d'état.
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)	1945	15 June 1945	7 August 1948	3 years, 53 days	National Liberal Party	Provisional President.
12		Domingo Díaz Arosemena (1875–1949)	1948	7 August 1948	28 July 1949	355 days	National Liberal Party	Resigned after a heart attack, and died less than a month later.
13		Daniel Chanis Pinzón (1892–1961)	—	28 July 1949	20 November 1949	115 days	National Liberal Party
14		Roberto Francisco Chiari Remón (1905–1981)	—	20 November 1949	24 November 1949	4 days	National Liberal Party	First tenure.
(10)		Arnulfo Arias (1901–1988)	—	24 November 1949	9 May 1951	1 year, 166 days	Panameñista Party	Second tenure.
15		Alcibíades Arosemena (1883–1958)	—	9 May 1951	1 October 1952	1 year, 145 days	Authentic Revolutionary Party
16		José Antonio Remón Cantera (1908–1955)	1952	1 October 1952	2 January 1955	2 years, 93 days	National Patriotic Coalition	Assassinated.
17		José Ramón Guizado (1899–1964)	—	2 January 1955	29 March 1955	86 days	National Patriotic Coalition
18		Ricardo Arias (1912–1993)	—	29 March 1955	1 October 1956	1 year, 186 days	National Patriotic Coalition
19		Ernesto de la Guardia (1904–1983)	1956	1 October 1956	1 October 1960	4 years	National Patriotic Coalition
(14)		Roberto Francisco Chiari Remón (1905–1981)	1960	1 October 1960	17 March 1963	2 years, 167 days	National Liberal Party	Second tenure.
—		Bernardino González Ruiz (1911–2012)	—	17 March 1963	23 March 1963	6 days	Democratic Action Party	Acting president.
(14)		Roberto Francisco Chiari Remón (1905–1981)	—	23 March 1963	1 October 1964	1 year, 192 days	National Liberal Party	Second tenure.
20		Marco Aurelio Robles (1908–1990)	1964	1 October 1964	1 October 1968	4 years	National Liberal Party
(10)		Arnulfo Arias (1901–1988)	1968	1 October 1968	11 October 1968	10 days	Panameñista Party	Third tenure. Deposed in a coup d'état.
—		José María Pinilla Fábrega (1919–1979)	—	12 October 1968	18 December 1969	1 year, 67 days	Military (National Guard)	Chairman of the Provisional Junta.
21		Colonel Bolívar Urrutia Parrilla (1918–2005)	—	12 October 1968	18 December 1969	1 year, 67 days	Military (National Guard)	President.
—		Demetrio B. Lakas (1925–1999)	—	19 December 1969	11 October 1972	2 years, 297 days	Independent	Chairman of the Provisional Junta to 11 October 1972.
22		Demetrio B. Lakas (1925–1999)	1972	11 October 1972	11 October 1978	6 years	Independent	Chairman of the Provisional Junta to 11 October 1972.
23		Aristides Royo (born 1940)	1978	11 October 1978	31 July 1982	3 years, 293 days	Democratic Revolutionary Party
24		Ricardo de la Espriella (born 1934)	—	31 July 1982	13 February 1984	1 year, 197 days	Democratic Revolutionary Party
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	Democratic Revolutionary Party
—		Eric Arturo Delvalle (1937–2015)	—	28 September 1985	26 February 1988	2 years, 151 days	Republican Party	Acting President.
—		Manuel Solís Palma (1917–2009)	—	26 February 1988	1 September 1989	1 year, 187 days	Democratic Revolutionary Party	Acting President.
—		Francisco Rodríguez (born 1938)	—	1 September 1989	20 December 1989	110 days	Democratic Revolutionary Party	Provisional President. Served at the time of the 1989 coup attempt. Deposed in the US invasion.
27		Guillermo Endara (1936–2009)	1989	20 December 1989	1 September 1994	4 years, 255 days	Panameñista Party
28		Ernesto Pérez Balladares (born 1946)	1994	1 September 1994	1 September 1999	5 years	Democratic Revolutionary Party
29		Mireya Moscoso (born 1946)	1999	1 September 1999	1 September 2004	5 years	Panameñista Party	Widow of Arnulfo Arias.
30		Martín Torrijos (born 1963)	2004	1 September 2004	1 July 2009	4 years, 303 days	Democratic Revolutionary Party	Son of Omar Torrijos.
31		Ricardo Martinelli (born 1952)	2009	1 July 2009	1 July 2014	5 years	Democratic Change
32		Juan Carlos Varela (born 1963)	2014	1 July 2014	1 July 2019	5 years	Panameñista Party
33		Laurentino Cortizo (born 1953)	2019	1 July 2019	Incumbent (Term ends on 1 July 2024)	4 years, 296 days	Democratic Revolutionary Party

Military leaders of Panama (1968–1989)

From 1968 to 1989 a military junta exerted actual control 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
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Military affiliation	Notes
1		Brigadier-General Omar Torrijos (1929–1981)	11 October 1968	31 July 1981	12 years, 293 days	National Guard	Assumed power in the 1968 coup d'état. Styled as Maximum Leader of the Panamanian Revolution from 11 October 1968. Killed in an air 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 as Maximum Leader of the National Liberation from 15 December 1989. Deposed in the US invasion.
3		General Manuel Noriega (1934–2017)	12 August 1983	20 December 1989	6 years, 130 days	Panama Defense Forces (from 29 September 1983.)

Timeline

Latest election

Main article: 2019 Panamanian general election


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Laurentino Cortizo	Democratic Revolutionary Party	655,302	33.35
	Rómulo Roux	Democratic Change	609,003	31.00
	Ricardo Lombana	Independent	368,962	18.78
	José Blandón	Panameñista Party	212,931	10.84
	Ana Matilde Gómez	Independent	93,631	4.77
	Saúl Méndez	Broad Front for Democracy	13,540	0.69
	Marco Ameglio	Independent	11,408	0.58
Total			1,964,777	100.00

Valid votes			1,964,777	97.58
Invalid/blank votes			48,656	2.42
Total votes			2,013,433	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			2,757,823	73.01
Source: Election Tribunal

References

^ "Shocking Gap Between Latin America's Presidential Salaries And Workers Minimum Wage". Latin Post. 22 June 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ".:: SomosPanama.com ::". 2 April 2016. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2018.

Presidents and heads of state of Panama

Commanders of the Panamanian Defense Forces (1968–1989)
Boris Martínez Omar Torrijos Florencio Flores Aguilar Rubén Darío Paredes Manuel Noriega

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v t e Current heads of state in Central American countries
Charles III (Belize) Rodrigo Chaves Robles (Costa Rica) Nayib Bukele (El Salvador) Bernardo Arévalo (Guatemala) Xiomara Castro (Honduras) Daniel Ortega (Nicaragua) Laurentino Cortizo (Panama)