Political Leaders: Panama

Leaders of Panamá
(Republic of Panamá)

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Parties: CD: Democratic Change; CNP: National Patriotic Coalition; PA: Arnulfista Party; PL: Liberal Party; PLN: National Liberal Party; PP: Panamenista Party; PR: Republican Party; PRA: Authentic Revolutionary Party; PRD: Revolutionary Democratic Party; n/p: non-party

Look for biographies of the leaders (in Spanish) at CIDOB website.

Heads of State

Presidents of the Republic
Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia Arango  21 Oct 1941 - 15 Jun 1945 (+1969) n/p
Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Brin          15 Jun 1945 -  1 Oct 1948 (+1970) PL (provisional)
Domingo Díaz Arosemena                1 Oct 1948 - 23 Aug 1949 (+)     PL
Daniel Chanis Pinzón                 23 Aug 1949 - 24 Nov 1949 (+1961) PL
Arnulfo Arias Madrid                 24 Nov 1949 - 25 May 1951 (+1988) PRA
Alcibíades Arosemena Quinzada        25 May 1951 -  1 Oct 1952 (+1958) PRA
José Antonio Remón Cantera            1 Oct 1952 -  2 Jan 1955 (+)a    CNP  
José Ramon Guizado Valdés             2 Jan 1955 - 29 Mar 1955 (+1964) CNP (acting)
Ricardo Manuel Arias Espinosa        29 Mar 1955 -  1 Oct 1956 (+1993) CNP
Ernesto de la Guardia Navarro         1 Oct 1956 -  1 Oct 1960 (+1983) CNP
Roberto Francisco Chiari Remón        1 Oct 1960 -  1 Oct 1964 (+1981) PLN
Marco Aurelio Robles Méndez           1 Oct 1964 -  1 Oct 1968 (+1990) PLN
Arnulfo Arias Madrid                  1 Oct 1968 - 11 Oct 1968 (+1988) PP

Chairmen of the Provisional Junta of Government
José María Pinilla Fábrega           13 Oct 1968 - 19 Dec 1969 (+1979) military
Demetrio Basilio Lakas Bahas         19 Dec 1969 - 11 Oct 1972 (+1999) n/p

Presidents of the Republic
Demetrio Basilio Lakas Bahas         11 Oct 1972 - 11 Oct 1978 (+1999) n/p
Arístides Royo Sánchez               11 Oct 1978 - 30 Jul 1982         n/p
Ricardo de la Espriella Toral        30 Jul 1982 - 13 Feb 1984         n/p
Jorge Enrique Illueca Sibauste       13 Feb 1984 - 11 Oct 1984         n/p
Nicolás Ardito Barletta Vallarino    11 Oct 1984 - 28 Sep 1985         PRD       
Eric Arturo Delvalle Cohen-Henríquez 28 Sep 1985 - 26 Feb 1988         PR 
Manuel Solís Palma                   26 Feb 1988 -  1 Sep 1989         PRD (acting)
Francisco Antonio Rodríguez Poveda    1 Sep 1989 - 20 Dec 1989         PRD (provisional)
Guillermo David Endara Galimany      20 Dec 1989 -  1 Sep 1994 (+2009) PA
Ernesto Pérez Balladares González     1 Sep 1994 -  1 Sep 1999         PRD
Mireya Elisa Moscoso de Arias         1 Sep 1999 -  1 Sep 2004         PA
Martín Erasto Torrijos Espino         1 Sep 2004 -  1 Jul 2009         PRD
Ricardo Martinelli Berrocal           1 Jul 2009 -                     CD

De facto rulers (commanders of the National Guard and the Panama Defence Forces)

Omar Efraín Torrijos Herrera         13 Oct 1968 -  1 Aug 1981 (+)k    military (*)
Rubén Darío Paredes del Río           3 Mar 1982 - 12 Aug 1983         military
Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno        12 Aug 1983 - 20 Dec 1989         military (**)

(*) General Torrijos, proclaimed by the Constitution of 1972 "Supreme Leader of the Panamaian Revolution", was the strongman in the period 1968-1981, as de facto Junta leader (11 Oct 1968-11 Oct 1972), as self-styled premier or head of the Government (11 Oct 1972-11 Oct 1978) and then as commander of the National Guard. He was killed in a plane crash on 1 Aug 1981.
(**) General Noriega was the strongman from 12 Aug 1983 as commander ot the National Guard (transformed into Panama Defence Forces on 29 Sep 1983) to his capture by the US Army on 20 Dec 1989. Five days before the US invasion, on 15 Dec, the National Assembly made him head of the Government with "extraordinary and indefinite powers", overriding the president of the Republic.

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