List of heads of state of Panama

President of the Republic of Panama
Presidente de la República de Panamá
Presidential Standard
Coat of arms of Panama
Incumbent Laurentino Cortizo since 1 July 2019
Residence	Palacio de las Garzas, Panama City
Term length	Five years not eligible for re-election immediately
Inaugural holder	Manuel Amador Guerrero
Formation	20 February 1904
Deputy	Vice President of Panama
Salary	7,000 USD per month[1]
Website	Presidencia de la República

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This article lists the heads of state of Panama since the short-lived first independence from the Republic of New Granada in 1840 and the final separation from Colombia in 1903.

Free State of the Isthmus (1840–1841)[]

No.	President (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Term of office			Notes
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1	General Juan Lopez (1823–1874)		18 November 1840	20 March 1841	122 days	Superior Civil Chief
2	Tomás de Herrera (1804–1854)		20 March 1841	8 June 1841	80 days	Superior Chief of State
(2)			8 June 1841	31 December 1841	206 days	President

Republic of Panama (1903–present)[]

President of the Municipal Council of Panama and de facto President (1903)[]

No.	Name (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Term of office			Political affiliation
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
3	Demetrio H. Brid (1859–1917)		3 November 1903	4 November 1903	1 day	Conservative Party

Members of the Provisional Government Junta (1903–1904)[]

No.	Name (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Term of office			Political affiliation
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
4	José Agustín Arango (1841–1909)		4 November 1903	20 February 1904	108 days	National Liberal Party
5	Tomás Arias (1856–1932)					Independent
6	Federico Boyd (1851–1924)					National Liberal Party
7	Manuel Espinosa Batista (1857–1919)		9 November 1903	7 December 1903	28 days

Presidents of Panama (1904–present)[]

No.	President (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Term of office			Political affiliation	Election	Notes
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1	Manuel Amador Guerrero (1833–1909)		20 February 1904	23 June 1907[2]	3 years, 123 days	Conservative Party
2	José Domingo de Obaldía (1845–1910)		24 June 1907[2]	27 December 1907[2]	186 days	National Liberal Party	—
(1)	Manuel Amador Guerrero (1833–1909)		29 December 1907[2]	1 October 1908	277 days	Conservative Party	—
(2)	José Domingo de Obaldía (1845–1910)		1 October 1908	1 March 1910	1 year, 151 days	National Liberal Party		Died in office.
—	Carlos Antonio Mendoza (1856–1916)		1 March 1910	1 October 1910	214 days		—	Acting President.
—	Federico Boyd (1851–1924)		1 October 1910	5 October 1910	4 days		—	Acting President.
—	Pablo Arosemena (1836–1920)		5 October 1910	1 October 1912	1 year, 362 days		—	Acting President.
3	Belisario Porras Barahona (1856–1942)		1 October 1912	1 October 1916	4 years			First tenure.
4	Ramón Maximiliano Valdés (1867–1918)		1 October 1916	3 June 1918	1 year, 245 days		1916	Died in office.
—	Ciro Luis Urriola (1863–1922)		3 June 1918	1 October 1918	120 days		—	Acting President.
—	Pedro Antonio Díaz (1852–1919)		1 October 1918	12 October 1918	11 days	Conservative Party	—	Acting President.
(3)	Belisario Porras Barahona (1856–1942)		12 October 1918	30 January 1920	1 year, 110 days	National Liberal Party	1918	Second tenure.
—	Ernesto Tisdel Lefevre (1876–1922)		30 January 1920	1 October 1920	245 days		—	Acting President.
(3)	Belisario Porras Barahona (1856–1942)		1 October 1920	1 October 1924	4 years		1920	Third tenure.
5	Rodolfo Chiari (1869–1937)		1 October 1924	1 October 1928	4 years		1924
6	Florencio Harmodio Arosemena (1872–1945)		1 October 1928	3 January 1931	2 years, 94 days		1928	Deposed in a coup d'état.
—	Harmodio Arias Madrid (1886–1963)		3 January 1931	16 January 1931	13 days	Independent	—	Acting President.
7	Ricardo Joaquín Alfaro Jované (1882–1971)		16 January 1931	5 June 1932	1 year, 141 days	National Liberal Party	—
8	Harmodio Arias Madrid (1886–1963)		5 June 1932	1 October 1936	4 years, 118 days	National Revolutionary Party	1932
9	Juan Demóstenes Arosemena (1879–1939)		1 October 1936	16 December 1939	3 years, 76 days	National Liberal Party	1936	Died in office.
—	Ezequiel Fernández (1886–1946)		16 December 1939	18 December 1939	2 days	National Revolutionary Party	—	Acting President.
—	Augusto Samuel Boyd (1879–1957)		18 December 1939	1 October 1940	288 days		—	Acting President.
10	Arnulfo Arias (1901–1988)		1 October 1940	9 October 1941	1 year, 8 days		1940	First tenure. Deposed in a coup d'état.
11	Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia Arango (1899–1969)		9 October 1941	15 June 1945	3 years, 249 days	Independent	—
—	Enrique Adolfo Jiménez (1888–1970)		15 June 1945	7 August 1948	3 years, 53 days	National Liberal Party	1945	Provisional President.
12	Domingo Díaz Arosemena (1875–1949)		7 August 1948	28 July 1949	355 days		1948	Resigned after a heart attack, and died less than a month later.
13	Daniel Chanis Pinzón (1892–1961)		28 July 1949	20 November 1949	115 days		—
14	Roberto Francisco Chiari Remón (1905–1981)		20 November 1949	24 November 1949	4 days		—	First tenure.
(10)	Arnulfo Arias (1901–1988)		24 November 1949	9 May 1951	1 year, 166 days	Panameñista Party	—	Second tenure.
15	Alcibíades Arosemena (1883–1958)		9 May 1951	1 October 1952	1 year, 145 days	Authentic Revolutionary Party	—
16	José Antonio Remón Cantera (1908–1955)		1 October 1952	2 January 1955	2 years, 93 days	National Patriotic Coalition	1952	Assassinated.
17	José Ramón Guizado (1899–1964)		2 January 1955	29 March 1955	86 days		—
18	Ricardo Arias (1912–1993)		29 March 1955	1 October 1956	1 year, 186 days		—
19	Ernesto de la Guardia (1904–1983)		1 October 1956	1 October 1960	4 years		1956
(14)	Roberto Francisco Chiari Remón (1905–1981)		1 October 1960	17 March 1963	2 years, 167 days	National Liberal Party	1960	Second tenure.
—	Bernardino González Ruiz (1911–2012)		17 March 1963	23 March 1963	6 days	Democratic Action Party	—	Acting president.
(14)	Roberto Francisco Chiari Remón (1905–1981)		23 March 1963	1 October 1964	1 year, 192 days	National Liberal Party	—	Second tenure.
20	Marco Aurelio Robles (1908–1990)		1 October 1964	1 October 1968	4 years		1964
(10)	Arnulfo Arias (1901–1988)		1 October 1968	11 October 1968	10 days	Panameñista Party	1968	Third tenure. Deposed in a coup d'état.
—	José María Pinilla Fábrega (1919–1979)		12 October 1968	18 December 1969	1 year, 67 days	Armed Forces	—	Chairman of the Provisional Junta.
21	Colonel Bolívar Urrutia Parrilla (1918–2005)							President.
—	Demetrio B. Lakas (1925–1999)		18 December 1969	19 December 1969	1 day	Independent	—	Chairman of the Provisional Junta to 11 October 1972.
22			19 December 1969	11 October 1978	8 years, 296 days		1972
23	Aristides Royo (born 1940)		11 October 1978	31 July 1982	3 years, 293 days	Democratic Revolutionary Party	1978
24	Ricardo de la Espriella (born 1934)		31 July 1982	13 February 1984	1 year, 197 days		—
25	Jorge Illueca (1918–2012)		13 February 1984	11 October 1984	241 days	Independent	—
26	Nicolás Ardito Barletta Vallarino (born 1938)		11 October 1984	28 September 1985	352 days	Democratic Revolutionary Party	1984
—	Eric Arturo Delvalle (1937–2015)		28 September 1985	26 February 1988	2 years, 151 days	Republican Party	—	Acting President.
—	Manuel Solís Palma (1917–2009)		26 February 1988	1 September 1989	1 year, 187 days	Democratic Revolutionary Party	—	Acting President.
—	Francisco Rodríguez (born 1938)		1 September 1989	20 December 1989	110 days		—	Provisional President. Served at the time of the 1989 coup attempt. Deposed in the US invasion.
27	Guillermo Endara (1936–2009)		20 December 1989	1 September 1994	4 years, 255 days	Panameñista Party	1989
28	Ernesto Pérez Balladares (born 1946)		1 September 1994	1 September 1999	5 years	Democratic Revolutionary Party	1994
29	Mireya Moscoso (born 1946)		1 September 1999	1 September 2004	5 years	Panameñista Party	1999	Widow of Arnulfo Arias.
30	Martín Torrijos (born 1963)		1 September 2004	1 July 2009	4 years, 303 days	Democratic Revolutionary Party	2004	Son of Omar Torrijos.
31	Ricardo Martinelli (born 1951)		1 July 2009	1 July 2014	5 years	Democratic Change	2009
32	Juan Carlos Varela (born 1963)		1 July 2014	1 July 2019	5 years	Panameñista Party	2014
33	Laurentino Cortizo (born 1953)		1 July 2019	Incumbent (Term ends on 1 July 2024)	2 years, 223 days	Democratic Revolutionary Party	2019

Military leaders of Panama (1968–1989)[]

From 1968 to 1989 a military junta exerted actual control over the country and nominated the president, who himself held little power. The following individuals were leaders of the junta.

Name (Birth–Death)			Term of office			Military affiliation	Notes
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1	Brigadier-General Omar Torrijos (1929–1981)		11 October 1968	31 July 1981	12 years, 293 days	National Guard	Assumed power in the 1968 coup d'état. Styled as Maximum Leader of the Panamanian Revolution from 11 October 1968. Killed in an air crash.
2	Colonel Rubén Darío Paredes (born 1933)		3 March 1982	12 August 1983	1 year, 162 days
3	General Manuel Noriega (1934–2017)		12 August 1983	20 December 1989	6 years, 130 days		Styled as Maximum Leader of the National Liberation from 15 December 1989. Deposed in the US invasion.
						Panama Defense Forces (from 29 September 1983.)

Latest election[]

See also[]

• Politics of Panama
• List of political parties in Panama
• History of Panama

References[]