Former President Martín Torrijos (2004 – 2009) is among the favorites to apply again for the Presidency of Panama, already away from the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) founded by his father, the historic General Omar Torrijos, and sure that his father would have taken the same path.
Omar Torrijos “had the courage to achieve a transformation and I am sure that, a long time ago, he would have made the decision to opt for another political instrument that was based on the economic and social development of Panamanians and not for the benefit of those who today lead that party (PRD),” Torrijos, 60, said in an interview with EFE.
Torrijos, whom a recent poll by the newspaper La Prensa places in second place, equaled with Ricardo Lombana with 10.8% of voting intention, and both removed from the 26% of Raúl Mulino, substitute for the disabled former president Ricardo Martinelli, is now running as a presidential candidate with the minority Popular Party (PP).
Two decades ago Torrijos did rule with the PRD, which is now going through its worst crisis between indications of corruption and dissents within the formation.
“The party moved away from the principles and values with which it was established and ceased to be an option of social transformation towards the future,” says that PRD that 20 years ago brought him to power and from which it officially separated at the beginning of this year after launching into the political campaign.
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Openly “torrijista”, Martín Torrijos alleges that “there is no way” not to feel proud of “what he is”, the surname he bears and the legacy of his father, who led that Panamanian revolution that ruled de facto between 1968 and 1981, the year in which he died in a plane crash.
Despite the distance from the party, he hides behind his father’s ideology, “torrijismo”, that political thought created by the general in the middle of the socialist current of the twentieth century in Latin America but that was never “neither with the left nor with the right, but with Panama,” a phrase frequently used by Omar Torrijos.
“I was born and I will die torrijista. But I think that this election (separating from the PRD) is not about a political party but about solving the problems of the people,” says Torrijos, who also defends that “at the end of the day it is a form of government” and “goes beyond a party.”
“It is the force that allowed the Panamanians to regain their sovereignty, that the country would progress more equitably. That is not in a political party but in that will and ideology,” he says.
The Panama Canal, administered by Panamanian hands since 1999 after the Torrijos-Carter Treaties promoted by General Torrijos, which put an end to the control that the United States maintained since its inauguration in 1914, is going through an unprecedented water crisis due to the prolonged drought, which lowered the water levels of the main lakes and reduced the number of daily transits.
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This situation that drags the way, and for which there is still no long-term solution, could reduce toll revenues by 800 million dollars in this fiscal year, after in 2023 the Canal delivered to the Panamanian Government the historic annual amount of 2,544.59 million dollars.
Torrijos proposes to solve this problem to “expand the basin” of the Panama Canal, following the alternatives identified by the Canal such as the use of the Indian River, the neighboring basin to the west of the road.
“Unquestionably, that decision must be made to guarantee (also) access to water for human consumption and I have proposed that the administration of the Panama Canal assume the administration of water treatment plants, a new role for the Canal in terms of development,” adds Torrijos.
The two artificial lakes Lago Gatún and Alhajuela supply the road and serve for the consumption of drinking water of about 2.5 million inhabitants, out of 4 million in the country.
“There will be other roles that the Panama Canal does not have today that must be achieved (…) because it is not only a channel through which ships pass, but that brings development to the country,” says the candidate.
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That “new role” of the Panama Canal is included in its government plan, which suggests that the administration of the road is “the governing body of all port concessions and or pipelines, gas pipelines, logistics corridors and any other future concession that supports the development” of the country’s position.
“So that we can integrate, with criteria of efficiency and competitiveness, the promotion of the consolidated route of Panama, which takes us to our country in the most important, efficient and competitive ‘hub’ (center) of loading and distribution of all the Americas,” he explains.
U.S. revokes visas of top Costa Rican lawmakers and constitutional judge
The United States government has revoked the visas of Rodrigo Arias, president of Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly, and Paul Rueda, a justice of the Constitutional Chamber, expanding the list of Costa Rican officials affected by such measures in 2025.
The Constitutional Chamber confirmed the cancellation of Justice Rueda’s visa but stated it would not issue further comments. Meanwhile, local media reported the case of Rodrigo Arias, who has led the Assembly for the past three years and maintained a critical stance toward President Rodrigo Chaves’s administration.
Visa revocations against Costa Rican political figures began following a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to San José in February. During the trip, Rubio warned of potential sanctions against those collaborating with foreign actors that could pose a risk to U.S. cybersecurity.
While in Costa Rica, Rubio praised President Chaves for halting Chinese companies’ involvement in major tech infrastructure projects, including the development of 5G networks.
Since then, the U.S. has also revoked visas of lawmakers Francisco Nicolás (National Liberation Party), Johana Obando and Cynthia Córdoba (Progressive Liberal Party), as well as Ana Sofía Machuca, general auditor of the Costa Rican Electricity Institute. All were accused of allegedly favoring Chinese firm Huawei in 5G-related tenders—criticism led by President Chaves and members of his cabinet.
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In April, even former president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Óscar Arias, brother of Rodrigo Arias, had his visa revoked. Arias has publicly criticized the U.S. over its military spending and, more recently, the immigration and trade policies of President Donald Trump.
As with previous cases, the U.S. government has not disclosed the specific reasons behind the visa revocations.
Guatemala hit by over 300 quakes; death toll rises to seven
At least seven people have died as a result of a series of earthquakes that have shaken three departments in central Guatemala since Tuesday, according to the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (Conred).
In its latest update, Conred reported that 2,138 people have been affected, and 347 have been displaced and are receiving humanitarian assistance.
“Our deepest condolences to the families. There are no words at a time like this, but know that the pain you feel is the pain of the entire Guatemalan people,” said President Bernardo Arévalo, expressing solidarity with the families of the victims. Of the seven deceased, five have been identified, while two remain unidentified as the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif) continues its work.
To address the emergency, the government has opened nine shelters, currently housing 586 people affected by the tremors.
Since the start of seismic activity, the National Institute for Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology (Insivumeh) has recorded 340 earthquakes, including 32 in the last few hours, with magnitudes ranging between 1.2 and 5.6.
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One of the most severely impacted areas is the Santa María bridge, located at kilometer 39+100 on the road to Palín, Escuintla. Authorities have begun coordinating its repair.
A total of 28 road segments have sustained damage: 11 in Sacatepéquez, 7 in Guatemala, 6 in Chimaltenango, and 4 in Escuintla.
Conred has urged the population to drive cautiously, avoid speeding, take extra care in mountainous areas or on roads with a history of structural issues, and report any emergencies to the 24-hour hotline 119.
Dengue crisis in Panama: co-circulating serotypes fuel rise in fatal cases
Health authorities in Panama reported on Wednesday that the country has recorded a total of 6,458 dengue cases and 10 related deaths through epidemiological week 25, which spanned from June 15 to 21, 2025.
Of the total reported cases, 576 patients required hospitalization, and 55 cases have been classified as severe, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Health (Minsa).
The metropolitan area and San Miguelito, both in the capital, account for the majority of cases, with 2,753 infections. The reported deaths occurred in the western provinces of Chiriquí (4) and Bocas del Toro (2); the eastern province of Darién (2); and Panamá Este and Coclé, with one death each.
“The national dengue incidence rate during epidemiological week 25 of 2025 is 125.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Most cases have occurred in individuals aged 10 to 59 years,” the official report stated.
Panama is currently experiencing co-circulation of all four dengue serotypes, with DENV-3 and DENV-4 being the most prevalent. This, according to Minsa, “increases the likelihood of severe and fatal cases.”
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The Ministry emphasized that dengue is a serious and potentially deadly disease transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, and noted that it has ramped up nationwide operations through vector control teams to reduce infection rates.
However, officials stressed that citizen participation remains critical, urging the public to eliminate mosquito breeding sites both inside and around their homes.
