List of heads of state of Panama

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.

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 not eligible for re-election immediately
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

Free State of the Isthmus (1840–1841)

• Superior Civil Chief: 18 November 1840 – 20 March 1841 General Juan Lopez
• Superior Chief of State: 20 March 1841 – 8 June 1841 Tomás de Herrera
• President: 8 June 1841 – 31 December 1841 Tomás de Herrera

Republic of Panama (1903–present)

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

Name (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Term of Office
Demetrio H. Brid (1859–1917)		3 November 1903	4 November 1903

Members of the Provisional Government Junta (1903–1904)

Name (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Term of Office
José Agustín Arango (1841–1909)		4 November 1903	20 February 1904
Tomás Arias (1856–1932)
Federico Boyd (1851–1924)
Manuel Espinosa Batista (1857–1919)		9 November 1903	7 December 1903

Presidents of Panama (1904–present)

No.	President (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Term of Office		Political Affiliation	Election	Notes
1	Manuel Amador Guerrero (1833–1909)		20 February 1904	23 June 1907[2]	Conservative Party	1904
2	José Domingo de Obaldía (1845–1910)		24 June 1907[2]	27 December 1907[2]	National Liberal Party	—
(1)	Manuel Amador Guerrero (1833–1909)		29 December 1907[2]	1 October 1908	Conservative Party	—
(2)	José Domingo de Obaldía (1845–1910)		1 October 1908	1 March 1910	National Liberal Party	1908	Died in office.
—	Carlos Antonio Mendoza (1856–1916)		1 March 1910	1 October 1910	National Liberal Party	—	Acting President.
—	Federico Boyd (1851–1924)		1 October 1910	5 October 1910	National Liberal Party	—	Acting President.
—	Pablo Arosemena (1836–1920)		5 October 1910	1 October 1912	National Liberal Party	—	Acting President.
3	Belisario Porras Barahona (1856–1942)		1 October 1912	1 October 1916	National Liberal Party	1912	First tenure.
4	Ramón Maximiliano Valdés (1867–1918)		1 October 1916	3 June 1918	National Liberal Party	1916	Died in office.
—	Ciro Luis Urriola (1863–1922)		3 June 1918	1 October 1918	National Liberal Party	—	Acting President.
—	Pedro Antonio Díaz (1852–1919)		1 October 1918	12 October 1918	Conservative Party	—	Acting President.
(3)	Belisario Porras Barahona (1856–1942)		12 October 1918	30 January 1920	National Liberal Party	1918	Second tenure.
—	Ernesto Tisdel Lefevre (1876–1922)		30 January 1920	1 October 1920	National Liberal Party	—	Acting President.
(3)	Belisario Porras Barahona (1856–1942)		1 October 1920	1 October 1924	National Liberal Party	1920	Third tenure.
5	Rodolfo Chiari (1869–1937)		1 October 1924	1 October 1928	National Liberal Party	1924
6	Florencio Harmodio Arosemena (1872–1945)		1 October 1928	3 January 1931	National Liberal Party	1928	Deposed in a coup d'état.
—	Harmodio Arias Madrid (1886–1963)		3 January 1931	16 January 1931	Independent	—	Acting President.
7	Ricardo Joaquín Alfaro Jované (1882–1971)		16 January 1931	5 June 1932	National Liberal Party	—
8	Harmodio Arias Madrid (1886–1963)		5 June 1932	1 October 1936	National Revolutionary Party	1932
9	Juan Demóstenes Arosemena (1879–1939)		1 October 1936	16 December 1939	National Liberal Party	1936	Died in office.
—	Ezequiel Fernández (1886–1946)		16 December 1939	18 December 1939	National Revolutionary Party	—	Acting President.
—	Augusto Samuel Boyd (1879–1957)		18 December 1939	1 October 1940	National Revolutionary Party	—	Acting President.
10	Arnulfo Arias (1901–1988)		1 October 1940	9 October 1941	National Revolutionary Party	1940	First tenure. Deposed in a coup d'état.
11	Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia Arango (1899–1969)		9 October 1941	15 June 1945	Independent	—
—	Enrique Adolfo Jiménez (1888–1970)		15 June 1945	7 August 1948	National Liberal Party	1945	Provisional President.
12	Domingo Díaz Arosemena (1875–1949)		7 August 1948	28 July 1949	National Liberal Party	1948	Resigned after a heart attack, and died less than a month later.
13	Daniel Chanis Pinzón (1892–1961)		28 July 1949	20 November 1949	National Liberal Party	—
14	Roberto Francisco Chiari Remón (1905–1981)		20 November 1949	24 November 1949	National Liberal Party	—	First tenure.
(10)	Arnulfo Arias (1901–1988)		24 November 1949	9 May 1951	Panameñista Party	—	Second tenure.
15	Alcibíades Arosemena (1883–1958)		9 May 1951	1 October 1952	Authentic Revolutionary Party	—
16	José Antonio Remón Cantera (1908–1955)		1 October 1952	2 January 1955	National Patriotic Coalition	1952	Assassinated.
17	José Ramón Guizado (1899–1964)		2 January 1955	29 March 1955	National Patriotic Coalition	—
18	Ricardo Arias (1912–1993)		29 March 1955	1 October 1956	National Patriotic Coalition	—
19	Ernesto de la Guardia (1904–1983)		1 October 1956	1 October 1960	National Patriotic Coalition	1956
(14)	Roberto Francisco Chiari Remón (1905–1981)		1 October 1960	1 October 1964	National Liberal Party	1960	Second tenure.
20	Marco Aurelio Robles (1908–1990)		1 October 1964	1 October 1968	National Liberal Party	1964
(10)	Arnulfo Arias (1901–1988)		1 October 1968	11 October 1968	Panameñista Party	1968	Third tenure. Deposed in a coup d'état.
—	José María Pinilla Fábrega (1919–1979)		12 October 1968	18 December 1969	National Guard	—	Chairman of the Provisional Junta.
21	Colonel Bolívar Urrutia Parrilla (1918–2005)						President.
22	Demetrio B. Lakas (1925–1999)		19 December 1969	11 October 1978	Independent	1972	Chairman of the Provisional Junta to 11 October 1972.
23	Aristides Royo (born 1940)		11 October 1978	31 July 1982	Democratic Revolutionary Party	1978
24	Ricardo de la Espriella (born 1934)		31 July 1982	13 February 1984	Democratic Revolutionary Party	—
25	Jorge Illueca (1918–2012)		13 February 1984	11 October 1984	Independent	—
26	Nicolás Ardito Barletta Vallarino (born 1938)		11 October 1984	28 September 1985	Democratic Revolutionary Party	1984
—	Eric Arturo Delvalle (1937–2015)		28 September 1985	26 February 1988	Republican Party	—	Acting President.
—	Manuel Solís Palma (1917–2009)		26 February 1988	1 September 1989	Democratic Revolutionary Party	—	Acting President.
—	Francisco Rodríguez (born 1938)		1 September 1989	20 December 1989	Democratic Revolutionary Party	—	Provisional President. Deposed in the US invasion.
27	Guillermo Endara (1936–2009)		20 December 1989	1 September 1994	Panameñista Party	1989
28	Ernesto Pérez Balladares (born 1946)		1 September 1994	1 September 1999	Democratic Revolutionary Party	1994
29	Mireya Moscoso (born 1946)		1 September 1999	1 September 2004	Panameñista Party	1999	Widow of Arnulfo Arias.
30	Martín Torrijos (born 1963)		1 September 2004	1 July 2009	Democratic Revolutionary Party	2004	Son of Omar Torrijos.
31	Ricardo Martinelli (born 1951)		1 July 2009	1 July 2014	Democratic Change	2009
32	Juan Carlos Varela (born 1963)		1 July 2014	1 July 2019	Panameñista Party	2014
33	Nito Cortizo (born 1953)		1 July 2019	Incumbent	Democratic Revolutionary Party	2019

Military (de facto) leaders of Panama (1968–1989)

Panama was from 1968–1989 de facto controlled by a military junta which appointed the nominal president, who himself had little power, while the junta and its leaders, while not official heads of state, exerted actual control over the country.

Name (Birth–Death)			Term of Office		Military Affiliation	Notes
	Brigadier-General Omar Torrijos (1929–1981)		11 October 1968	31 July 1981	National Guard	Styled as Maximum Leader of the Panamanian Revolution from 11 October 1968. Killed in an air crash.
	Colonel Rubén Darío Paredes (1933–)		3 March 1982	12 August 1983	National Guard
	General Manuel Noriega (1934–2017)		12 August 1983	20 December 1989	National Guard (until 29 September 1983.)	Styled as Maximum Leader of the National Liberation from 15 December 1989. Deposed in the US invasion.
					Panama Defense Forces

Living former presidents

There are nine living former presidents. The most recent former president to die was Eric Arturo Delvalle (1985–1988), on 2 October 2015.

• 
  Aristides Royo
  1978–1982
• 
  Ricardo de la Espriella
  1982–1984
• 
  Nicolás Ardito Barletta Vallarino
  1984–1985
• 
  Francisco Rodríguez
  1989
• 
  Ernesto Pérez Balladares
  1994–1999
• 
  Mireya Moscoso
  1999–2004
• 
  Martín Torrijos
  2004–2009
• 
  Ricardo Martinelli
  2009–2014
• 
  Juan Carlos Varela
  2014–2019

Timeline

Latest election

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Laurentino Cortizo	Democratic Revolutionary Party	655,428	33.35
	Rómulo Roux	Democratic Change	609,223	31.00
	Ricardo Lombana	Independent	369,303	18.79
	José Blandón	Panameñista Party	212,812	10.83
	Ana Matilde Gómez	Independent	93,608	4.76
	Saúl Méndez	Broad Front for Democracy	13,582	0.69
	Marco Ameglio	Independent	11,321	0.58
Invalid/blank votes			48,782	–
Total			2,014,059	100
Registered voters/turnout			2,757,823	73.03
Source: Election Tribunal

See also

• Politics of Panama
• List of political parties in Panama
• History of Panama

References

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