---
title: "Panama Sees Region's Sharpest Drop in Democratic Support, Latinobarometro Finds"
date: 2026-10-04
author: "Panama Daily News"
url: https://panamadaily.news/2026/10/04/panama-sees-regions-sharpest-drop-in-democratic-support-latinobarometro-finds/
categories:
  - "Politics"
---

# Panama Sees Region's Sharpest Drop in Democratic Support, Latinobarometro Finds

Support for democracy in Panama has fallen nine percentage points, dropping from 54% in 2024 to 45% in 2025-2026, according to the Latinobarometro 2026 regional survey. The decline is the steepest among Latin American countries that changed governments after recent elections, and it leaves Panama seven points below the regional average of 52%.

## What Happened

The Latinobarometro 2026 report, based on 1,000 face-to-face interviews conducted in Panama between May 7 and June 17, 2026, with a 3% margin of error, found that only 45% of Panamanians now support democracy. Panama recorded the largest drop among three countries where backing fell following a change of government: Bolivia lost two points and Uruguay lost six.

The report attributes these declines to the perception that alternation in power “seems to have less hope.” It notes that Jose Raul Mulino won the May 2024 election, describing him as “the dolphin” of former president Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014), who was convicted of money laundering in the New Business case. The report also recalls that Mulino was investigated and later acquitted over the purchase of radars while serving as Public Security Minister.

Other findings paint a bleak picture of public confidence in institutions. Only 14% of Panamanians say the State has done “a lot or something” for them and their families in the past three years, a 36-point drop from 50% in 2011, tying Guatemala for last place in the region. Meanwhile, 86% of Panamanians do not believe tax money is well spent, the region’s second-highest figure behind Peru (89%), and 78% do not feel represented by the National Assembly.

## Background

Latinobarometro is an annual regional survey conducted face to face across Latin America. Its 2026 edition comes amid a period of intense electoral activity in the region: 12 presidential elections have been held since 2024, producing seven changes in government, with 11 countries now governed by the right.

The contrast between personal well-being and national pessimism is a defining feature of the data. While 77% of Panamanians feel they and their families are heading in the right direction and 77% are satisfied with their lives, only 28% believe the country is on the right track. This gap mirrors a regional pattern: across Latin America, 82% say their family is doing well, while only 35% say the same about their country.

Attorney Rodrigo Noriega told La Prensa that no single cause explains the deterioration. He cited a “cocktail” of factors: unfulfilled economic expectations, noting that Mulino’s 2024 campaign promised prosperity, or “chen chen,” that has not materialized two years into his term; political discontent directed at the National Assembly over its budget increases, patronage appointments, and perks; and widespread state inefficiency, exemplified by long lines to buy subsidized food, obtain medicines at the Social Security Fund, or collect PASE-U education scholarships.

Noriega referenced a recent Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture survey showing that 47% of Panamanian families do not eat three meals a day, even as official unemployment figures from the Labor Ministry have improved. Human rights lawyer Magaly Castillo offered a different reading, arguing the issue is not a loss of faith but a “disenchantment” rooted in the perception that the rules of democracy are not respected, driven by unmet needs in employment, health, and education.

## What This Means for Panama

The nine-point drop signals mounting pressure on the Mulino administration to translate economic growth into tangible improvements in living standards. With only 14% of citizens saying the State has helped them, and distrust of public spending near regional highs, restoring confidence will likely depend on visible results in jobs, food security, and public services.

The findings also put the National Assembly under scrutiny, given that more than three-quarters of Panamanians feel unrepresented by the legislature. The report’s broader data underscores the stakes: across the region, only 15% trust political parties, 79% believe organized crime holds significant power, and 65% view democracy as “the best system, except for all the others” — a reminder that democratic support in Panama, while weakened, has not collapsed.

This story was originally reported by [La Prensa](https://www.prensa.com/politica/latinobarometro-2026-el-apoyo-a-la-democracia-cae-9-puntos-en-panama/).