Panamanian President Jos\u00e9 Ra\u00fal Mulino has publicly advised Venezuelan opposition figure Mar\u00eda Corina Machado against negotiating the results of her country’s 2024 presidential election. Mulino revealed the private conversation during a press briefing in Panama City on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, framing his counsel as a lesson from Panama’s own democratic history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The president’s statement represents a significant and public alignment of Panama’s foreign policy with the Venezuelan opposition’s claim to power. It comes amid an ongoing regional crisis following the political collapse of Nicol\u00e1s Maduro’s government earlier this month. Mulino emphasized that his advice was given as a friend and based on Panama’s direct experience with defending electoral mandates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n“I told her to be intransigent with respect for the popular will. There is no going back on that, and you will not be wrong,” Mulino said. [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
He was referring to the July 28, 2024, Venezuelan election where candidate Edmundo Gonz\u00e1lez Urrutia was declared the winner. The result was never recognized by Maduro’s administration, creating a prolonged political stalemate. Mulino argued that negotiating an electoral mandate only perpetuates the same power structures that led Venezuela to institutional collapse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Warning Against Political Negotiations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
President Mulino warned that political agreements not rooted in respect for the vote do not resolve conflict. He suggested they merely delay a true democratic transition. His position rejects any form of power-sharing deal that would undermine the opposition’s claimed victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To illustrate his point, Mulino recalled Panama’s critical juncture in 1989. The country faced intense international pressure to negotiate after its elections. The winning ticket of Guillermo Endara, Ricardo Arias Calder\u00f3n and Guillermo Ford ultimately saw its mandate respected without political transaction. “Either the election was respected, or no deal was possible,” Mulino stated, highlighting that firmness was key to restoring Panamanian democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Panamanian leader sees clear parallels between that moment and Venezuela’s current crisis. He asserted that only the Venezuelan people can renounce the choice they expressed at the polls, not political actors or international bodies. This principle guides his administration’s stance.<\/p>