{"id":12960,"date":"2026-04-29T19:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T00:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/?p=12960"},"modified":"2026-04-29T11:02:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T16:02:44","slug":"panama-president-mulino-meets-lawmakers-on-cancelled-and-stagnant-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/politics-government\/panama-president-mulino-meets-lawmakers-on-cancelled-and-stagnant-projects\/","title":{"rendered":"Panama President Mulino Meets Lawmakers on Cancelled and Stagnant Projects"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Panama City, Panama \u2013 President Jos\u00e9 Ra\u00fal Mulino held a crucial meeting Tuesday with lawmakers from the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Realizing_Goals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Realizando Metas \/ Realizing Goals (political party)<\/a>. The gathering at the presidential palace focused on pressing national issues and legislative priorities.<\/p>\n<p>The closed-door session brought together the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/President_of_Panama\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">President of Panama<\/a> and the party&#8217;s congressional bloc. Official sources confirmed the discussions centered on social programs and economic challenges facing the nation.<\/p>\n<h2>Social Programs and Infrastructure Take Center Stage<\/h2>\n<p>Government officials confirmed the meeting reviewed several projects aimed at addressing social problems across Panama. The agenda included clean drinking water service improvements, road enhancement initiatives, and support for productive sectors like agriculture.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10674\" src=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/water-unsafe-azuero-1200x800-1.webp\" alt=\"Water unsafe Azuero\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/water-unsafe-azuero-1200x800-1.webp 1200w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/water-unsafe-azuero-1200x800-1-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/water-unsafe-azuero-1200x800-1-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/water-unsafe-azuero-1200x800-1-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/water-unsafe-azuero-1200x800-1-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/water-unsafe-azuero-1200x800-1-450x300.webp 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The administration is pushing forward with concrete actions. These efforts target communities that lack basic services or face crumbling infrastructure.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;We reviewed the status of various projects focused on addressing social problems in the country. Among them, we discussed initiatives linked to drinking water service, road improvements, and support for productive sectors like agriculture,&#8221; an official statement read. [Translated from Spanish]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>Fuel Costs and Economic Pressures Dominate Talks<\/h2>\n<p>The government also briefed lawmakers on actions to mitigate high fuel costs. International crises have pushed energy prices upward, creating economic strain for Panamanian families.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11808\" src=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fossil-fuel-energy-1200x800-1.webp\" alt=\"fossil fuel National Energy Plan\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fossil-fuel-energy-1200x800-1.webp 1200w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fossil-fuel-energy-1200x800-1-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fossil-fuel-energy-1200x800-1-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fossil-fuel-energy-1200x800-1-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fossil-fuel-energy-1200x800-1-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fossil-fuel-energy-1200x800-1-450x300.webp 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This meeting comes during a politically charged period. The <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/National_Assembly_of_Panama\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">National Assembly of Panama<\/a> recently halted a controversial bill that would have mandated bioethanol use. That legislative battle exposed deep divisions within the ruling coalition.<\/p>\n<p>The Mulino administration is now expected to call for extraordinary legislative sessions. These special sessions would focus on economic initiatives that require urgent approval.<\/p>\n<p>Lawmakers from the <a href=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/business-economy\/panama-gdp-to-grow-4-percent-in-2026-eclac-report-says\/\" rel=\"internal\">Realizando Metas<\/a> party expressed support for the government&#8217;s agenda. The <a href=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/business-economy\/panama-gdp-to-grow-4-percent-in-2026-eclac-report-says\/\" rel=\"internal\">Mulino Realizando Metas Diputados<\/a> bloc holds significant sway in the assembly.<\/p>\n<p>Water infrastructure remains a critical issue. Many rural communities lack reliable access to clean drinking water. Road conditions in agricultural regions also hamper economic development.<\/p>\n<p>The agricultural sector needs stronger government backing. Farmers face rising input costs and market access challenges.<\/p>\n<p>Fuel price volatility threatens Panama&#8217;s economic stability. The government has implemented several measures to cushion the blow for consumers. These include subsidies and price controls on certain fuel grades.<\/p>\n<p>International energy markets remain unpredictable. The war in Ukraine and OPEC production decisions continue to influence global prices.<\/p>\n<p>Tuesday&#8217;s meeting signals the administration&#8217;s commitment to legislative collaboration. The <a href=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/business-economy\/panama-gdp-to-grow-4-percent-in-2026-eclac-report-says\/\" rel=\"internal\">Partido Realizando Metas<\/a> party represents a key pillar of Mulino&#8217;s governing coalition.<\/p>\n<p>Political observers expect more such meetings in coming weeks. The government needs to build consensus on multiple reform packages before the end of the legislative term.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12398\" src=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/combustible-fuel-gas-subsidy-1200x800-1.webp\" alt=\"combustible fuel gas subsidy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/combustible-fuel-gas-subsidy-1200x800-1.webp 1200w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/combustible-fuel-gas-subsidy-1200x800-1-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/combustible-fuel-gas-subsidy-1200x800-1-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/combustible-fuel-gas-subsidy-1200x800-1-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/combustible-fuel-gas-subsidy-1200x800-1-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/combustible-fuel-gas-subsidy-1200x800-1-450x300.webp 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Panama City, Panama \u2013 President Jos\u00e9 Ra\u00fal Mulino held a crucial meeting Tuesday with lawmakers from the Realizando Metas \/ Realizing Goals (political party). The gathering at the presidential palace focused on pressing national issues and legislative priorities. The closed-door session brought together the President of Panama and the party&#8217;s congressional bloc. Official sources confirmed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12959,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[29,87],"tags":[77,4014,4013,4012],"class_list":{"0":"post-12960","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics-government","8":"category-featured","9":"tag-panama-president-mulino","10":"tag-panama-president-mulino-meets","11":"tag-panama-reforms","12":"tag-realizing-goals"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12960","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12960"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12960\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12961,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12960\/revisions\/12961"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}