Central America

Martín Torrijos, the former president who wants to return to power in Panama without his father’s party

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.

Central America

Guatemala’s Attorney General Fails in Bid for Top Court Seat Amid Corruption Allegations

The Attorney General of Guatemala, Consuelo Porras, failed on Tuesday in her bid to join the country’s highest constitutional court, a position that would have granted her immunity from corruption allegations for which she has been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union.

Porras, whose term as attorney general ends in May, did not receive a single vote in the final round of voting to become a magistrate of the Corte de Constitucionalidad, whose rulings are final and cannot be appealed.

The Supreme Court reelected Dina Ochoa and Claudia Paniagua as its representatives to the Constitutional Court.

Ochoa is considered close to former presidents Jimmy Morales (2016–2020) and Alejandro Giammattei (2020–2024), both accused of corruption. Paniagua, like Porras, has been sanctioned by the United States.

Washington and the European Union have labeled Porras as “corrupt” and “undemocratic,” accusing her of attempting to block the inauguration of Social Democratic President Bernardo Arévalo two years ago.

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In addition, the 72-year-old attorney general—who is seeking a third term—has been accused of forcing anti-corruption officials, journalists, and social leaders into exile. She denies the allegations and claims they are part of a political persecution campaign.

Porras’ chances of remaining in office, a position she has held since 2018, are considered slim, as President Arévalo is responsible for appointing the next attorney general.

Central America

Panama Canal Monitoring Trade as Middle East Conflict Disrupts Shipping

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) said Monday it is closely monitoring global maritime trade developments following the conflict triggered by joint U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran.

However, the ACP described it as “premature” to predict potential consequences for vessel traffic through the interoceanic waterway, which handles roughly 5% of global maritime trade.

“The Panama Canal continuously monitors the evolution of international maritime trade and the dynamics that may influence its flows,” the authority said in a statement. The canal’s main users are the United States and China, connecting primarily the U.S. East Coast with Asia, including South Korea and Japan.

The ACP emphasized that the canal “continues to operate safely, efficiently, and reliably,” providing uninterrupted service to the global maritime community.

Global Shipping Disruptions

The U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory actions have disrupted global maritime traffic, particularly oil tanker routes.

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Shipping giants Maersk and CMA CGM have suspended transits through the Strait of Hormuz as well as crossings via the Suez Canal, the key route linking the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.

As a result, cargo vessels are now rerouting around Africa to reach Europe from the Middle East and Asia — a detour that adds several thousand kilometers and several days to voyages.

Central America

Washington Imposes Visa Ban on La Modelo Director Amid Crackdown in Nicaragua

The United States government announced Wednesday that it has imposed visa restrictions on Roberto Clemente Guevara Gómez, director of Nicaragua’s largest prison, La Modelo, for his involvement in actions that violate human rights.

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the measure is intended to promote accountability for abuses committed under what he described as the “Murillo-Ortega dictatorship” against political prisoners.

Rubio specified that Guevara Gómez was designated for participating in “a gross violation of the human rights of a political prisoner.” The sanction was issued under the 2024 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, which bars the sanctioned individual — and potentially immediate family members — from entering the United States.

“United States demands the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners unjustly detained in Nicaragua,” the statement added.

Ongoing tensions between Washington and Managua

Washington rejected Nicaragua’s November 2021 elections, in which President Daniel Ortega and his wife, now co-president Rosario Murillo, were reelected while seven potential challengers were in prison.

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Relations between the two countries remain tense amid expanding U.S. sanctions and increasing diplomatic pressure on the Nicaraguan government.

On January 10, marking Ortega’s 19 years in power, Nicaragua released “dozens of detainees,” including political prisoners. The move came one day after the U.S. Embassy in Managua stated that “more than 60 people” remain “unjustly detained or disappeared” in the Central American nation.

U.S. officials have continued to push for the “unconditional release” of political prisoners rather than selective or temporary releases.

Ortega, 80, governs alongside Murillo with consolidated authority, having strengthened executive power through constitutional reforms and security measures, while the opposition has been weakened by imprisonment, exile, and the revocation of citizenship and property rights.