Cortizo wins Panama presidency via the interior

Laurentino Cortizo won 33.1% of the vote in Sunday's general election in Panama. He narrowly topped Romulo Roux, who had 31.1% of the vote.

Cortizo represents the first time that the left-of-center Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD) has won the presidency since Martin Torrijos won in 2004. It also represents the sixth straight time the incumbent party has lost the presidency since the return of democracy after 1989. The current ruling center-right party, Panameñista only garnered 10.5% of the vote.

In Panama there is a large social division between the two metropolitan canal areas of Panama City and Colon, and the more rural rest of the country -- often referred to as "the interior". Romulo Roux of the center-right Democratic Change (CD) party won a slim plurality of voters in these metropolitan provinces. However, Cortizo won much larger percentages in almost all of the less-populated provinces of "the interior". The only interior province Roux won was the sparsely populated Bocas del Toro.

Roux has not officially conceded as of Sunday night, citing the close margin and unspecified irregularities in voting.

Independent candidate Ricardo Lombana barely even made the ballot during a petition-signature drive in 2018. He rode a wave of disillusion with the traditional parties of Panama to win 19% of the vote. Combined, the three independent candidates won 25% of the vote this year. Independent candidates had won only 0.8% in the 2014 election.