{"id":15396,"date":"2026-08-09T06:50:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T11:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/?p=15396"},"modified":"2026-08-09T10:22:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T15:22:21","slug":"president-against-mayor-as-panama-police-clash-intensifies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/politics-government\/president-against-mayor-as-panama-police-clash-intensifies\/","title":{"rendered":"President Against Mayor as Panama Police Clash Intensifies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A violent altercation that landed a former municipal employee in the hospital has spiraled into a full-blown constitutional crisis, pitting President Jos\u00e9 Ra\u00fal Mulino directly against Panama City Mayor Mayer Mizrachi. The president’s sharp condemnation of the newly formed Municipal Police came Saturday, marking the most direct intervention yet in a dispute that now sits before the Supreme Court. With the phrase President Against Mayor<\/strong> framing the escalating tension, the future of local law enforcement in Panama’s capital<\/a> hangs in the balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hospital Confrontation Sparks National Firestorm<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The controversy erupted into public view after events on Monday, August 3, when former municipal official Alberto Llerena suffered a head injury during a scuffle with municipal agents at the Hatillo building, the seat of the Panama Municipality. Llerena had been participating in a protest demanding payment of labor benefits. He remains under medical care at Santo Tom\u00e1s Hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mayor Mizrachi himself acknowledged the incident fell short of standards. “The performance of the Municipal Police was not exactly what I expect from a police force, which is to deter,” he said [Translated from Spanish]. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

That admission opened the door for broader scrutiny. The Ombudsman’s Office launched an investigation into the aggression, while a lawyer representing the injured former employees filed complaints against the mayor, the director of the municipal body, and the agent directly involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Deputy
Deputy Mayor of the District of Panama Roberto Neyrot Ruiz Di\u0301az by MUPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The vice mayor on leave, Roberto Ruiz D\u00edaz, piled on, stating the force has lost its original purpose of guarding municipal property. These rapid developments transformed what might have been a local employment dispute into a national debate about policing powers, constitutional limits, and the rivalry between Panama’s executive and municipal leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supreme Court Battle Over Acuerdo 162<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Behind the headlines lies a legal fight that will determine the fate of the Municipal Police<\/a>. The Ministry of Public Security, led by Minister Frank \u00c1brego, filed a nullification lawsuit against Acuerdo 162 of 2025, the municipal council regulation that established the revamped force. The Supreme Court’s Third Chamber for Administrative Litigation admitted the case on July 3, with Magistrate Mar\u00eda Cristina Chen, who presides over the high court, now tasked with weighing its legality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"mayor
mayor mizrachi municipal private police taken from social media<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The agreement, pushed by Mizrachi and approved by the Municipal Council on June 17, 2025, radically restructured what used to be a corps of municipal watchmen. Their original job involved safeguarding parks, markets, and municipal assets. The new arrangement introduces ranks echoing military and traditional police hierarchies: corporals, sergeants, lieutenants, captains, and a major. It also grants agents authority to carry “short and long firearms that are not weapons of war,” perform body searches, inspect vehicles, and detain citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Security Minister \u00c1brego’s legal challenge argues these powers usurp responsibilities that Panama’s Constitution exclusively reserves for state security forces. The National Police had previously attempted to file an unconstitutionality claim<\/a> against the same agreement, but that effort failed to gain admission, shifting the spotlight onto the current administration’s legal strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Against Mayor Raises Specter of Institutional Chaos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mulino<\/a> took his opposition to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, with a message that left little room for interpretation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Estoy en contra del nuevo concepto de polic\u00eda municipal. Eso naci\u00f3 para cuidar parques y monumentos y no se puede transformar en otra polic\u00eda. Adem\u00e1s de inconstitucional , cada alcalde puede hacer lo mismo y ser\u00eda un desastre, aparte de los uniformes que se confunden con el SPI.\u2026<\/p>— Jos\u00e9 Ra\u00fal Mulino (@JoseRaulMulino) August 8, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>