Panama court rules leading candidate Mulino may remain in presidential race

Just two days prior to Panama's general election, the country's Supreme Court rejected a constitutional challenge seeking to bar front-runner José Raúl Mulino from the presidential race by an 8-1 margin. Mulino became the top candidate for the Realizando Metas party after former President Ricardo Martinelli was disqualified over a money-laundering conviction. The legal challenge argued that Mulino had not won a party primary or selected a running mate as typically required by law. Court magistrates concluded that safeguarding political pluralism and the democratic rights of voters justified keeping Mulino on the ballot.