Former president, Ricardo Martinelli who heads his own party (RM) presented on Thursday, July 28 to the Electoral Court (TE) his candidacy for president in the 2024 elections. "I have presented all my papers to run as an independent presidential candidate because I plan to be the candidate of all independent Panamanians and supporters. Martinelli wrote on his Twitter. "As long as we have the executive body pressing judges, prosecutors, and magistrates as they have done, among others, in the Electoral Court, we will not have an impartial democracy and we will continue to be the mockery of the world’’ wrote the man facing money laundering charges in the New Business and Odebrecht cases and corruption cases in Spain.

To date there are 15 candidates who have submitted their application to the Electoral Organization Directorate to be recognized as pre-candidates for the Presidency.These are: Francisco Manuel Pitty Carreira, Dimitri Flores, Gerardo Barroso, José Luis Galloway Logan, Ziruela Del Carmen Gómez, Eduardo Quiroz, Maria Vanessa Ford, Germán Torres, Manuel Salvador Ábrego, Marcelina Bradley, Marta Roa, José Nieto and Zulay Rodríguez Loo. , Roberto Ruiz Diaz and Irving Centeno Sanson.

Applicants have until July 31, to submit their application to be recognized as pre-candidates.