What Happened
Panama’s public debate over insecurity is being shaped by the example of El Salvador’s hard-line security strategy under President Nayib Bukele. The model centers on the CECOT mega-prison, opened in 2023 in Tecoluca, and on a prolonged state of exception that has allowed Salvadoran authorities to detain large numbers of suspected gang members while sharply reducing homicides in the first years of the policy.
The approach has gained support across parts of Latin America, including Panama, where Bukele receives especially strong approval in regional polling. That popularity is now feeding questions about whether Panama could follow a similar path to confront crime and public fear.
Why Panama Is Paying Attention
According to the SIEC criminal statistics system, Panama’s homicide rate stands at 12 per 100,000 inhabitants, below the regional average of 20. Even so, insecurity remains a major concern for the public. In the IV Citizenship and Rights Survey by CIEPS in 2025, 72.3% of respondents said Panama is not a safe country.
That gap between official crime figures and public perception helps explain why the Salvadoran model continues to attract interest. In Latinobarómetro 2024, Bukele ranked as the best-rated leader among 17 Latin American and Caribbean countries, with 53.3% of respondents rating him positively or very positively. In Panama, that figure rises to 78.2%, placing him far ahead of other regional figures and even above the pope in public approval.
The Security Model Under Scrutiny
Supporters of Bukele’s approach point to the sharp drop in homicides and the mass arrests made possible by repeated extensions of the state of exception, which has been renewed 48 times since 2019. The CECOT embodies that strategy: strict isolation, heavy surveillance and no visits for inmates held there.
But the model has also drawn serious criticism from human rights groups and international jurists. In late March 2026, the International Federation for Human Rights cited an international legal report alleging crimes against humanity in El Salvador. Separate investigations have also raised questions about arrests made under the state of exception, including claims that a large share of detainees did not appear in police records as gang members before the emergency measures began.
What It Means for Panama
Panama already faces prison overcrowding, but a response based on exceptional powers and a mega-prison would raise difficult constitutional and human rights questions. The central issue is whether a society can accept stronger security tools if they weaken due process, the presumption of innocence and the right to defense.
The debate goes beyond crime control. It touches the balance between public safety and the rule of law, and whether fear of insecurity can push institutions toward measures that erode basic democratic guarantees. For Panama, the appeal of the Bukele model is real, but so are the risks of adopting it without safeguards.