Panama: Politics and Governance

Panama is a presidential republic in which the president serves as both head of state and head of government, elected by direct popular vote for a single five-year term. Legislative power rests with a unicameral National Assembly, and the judiciary is headed by the Supreme Court of Justice.

Panama has held regular democratic elections since the end of the Noriega dictatorship in 1989. Recent political discourse has centered on governance of the Panama Canal, anti-corruption reforms, and the management of natural resources, including public debate over large-scale mining operations.