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
165px Incumbent Laurentino Cortizo since 1 July 2019
Residence	Palacio de las Garzas, Panama City
Term length	Five years, renewable once non-consecutively
Inaugural holder	Manuel Amador Guerrero
Formation	20 February 1904
Deputy	Vice President of Panama
Salary	7,000 USD per month
Website	Presidencia de la República

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.	Portrait	President (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Notes
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Juan López (1823–1874)	18 November 1840	20 March 1841		Superior Civil Chief
2	100px	Tomás de Herrera (1804–1854)	20 March 1841	8 June 1841		Superior Chief of State
(2)			8 June 1841	31 December 1841		President

Republic of Panama (1903–present)

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

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political Party
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
3	80px	Demetrio H. Brid (1859–1917)	3 November 1903	4 November 1903		Conservative Party

Members of the Provisional Government Junta (1903–1904)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political Party
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
4	80px	José Agustín Arango (1841–1909)	4 November 1903	20 February 1904		National Liberal Party
5	80px	Tomás Arias (1856–1932)				Independent
6		Federico Boyd (1851–1924)				National Liberal Party
7	80px	Manuel Espinosa Batista (1857–1919)	9 November 1903	7 December 1903		National Liberal Party

Presidents of Panama (1904–present)

No.	Portrait	President (Birth–Death)	Elected	Term of office			Political Party	Notes
				Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Manuel Amador Guerrero (1833–1909)	1904	20 February 1904	23 June 1907		Conservative Party
2		José Domingo de Obaldía (1845–1910)	—	24 June 1907	27 December 1907		National Liberal Party
(1)		Manuel Amador Guerrero (1833–1909)	—	29 December 1907	1 October 1908		Conservative Party
(2)		José Domingo de Obaldía (1845–1910)	1908	1 October 1908	1 March 1910		National Liberal Party	Died in office.
—		Carlos Antonio Mendoza (1856–1916)	—	1 March 1910	1 October 1910		National Liberal Party	Acting President.
—		Federico Boyd (1851–1924)	—	1 October 1910	5 October 1910		National Liberal Party	Acting President.
—		Pablo Arosemena (1836–1920)	—	5 October 1910	1 October 1912		National Liberal Party	Acting President.
3	100px	Belisario Porras Barahona (1856–1942)	1912	1 October 1912	1 October 1916	years	National Liberal Party	First tenure.
4		Ramón Maximiliano Valdés (1867–1918)	1916	1 October 1916	3 June 1918		National Liberal Party	Died in office.
—		Ciro Luis Urriola (1863–1922)	—	3 June 1918	1 October 1918		National Liberal Party	Acting President.
—		Pedro Antonio Díaz (1852–1919)	—	1 October 1918	12 October 1918		Conservative Party	Acting President.
(3)	100px	Belisario Porras Barahona (1856–1942)	1918	12 October 1918	30 January 1920		National Liberal Party	Second tenure.
—		Ernesto Tisdel Lefevre (1876–1922)	—	30 January 1920	1 October 1920		National Liberal Party	Acting President.
(3)	100px	Belisario Porras Barahona (1856–1942)	1920	1 October 1920	1 October 1924	years	National Liberal Party	Third tenure.
5		Rodolfo Chiari (1869–1937)	1924	1 October 1924	1 October 1928	years	National Liberal Party
6		Florencio Harmodio Arosemena (1872–1945)	1928	1 October 1928	3 January 1931		National Liberal Party	Deposed in a coup d'état.
—	100px	Harmodio Arias Madrid (1886–1963)	—	3 January 1931	16 January 1931		Independent	Acting President.
7		Ricardo Joaquín Alfaro Jované (1882–1971)	—	16 January 1931	5 June 1932		National Liberal Party
8	100px	Harmodio Arias Madrid (1886–1963)	1932	5 June 1932	1 October 1936		National Revolutionary Party
9	100px	Juan Demóstenes Arosemena (1879–1939)	1936	1 October 1936	16 December 1939		National Liberal Party	Died in office.
—	100px	Ezequiel Fernández (1886–1946)	—	16 December 1939	18 December 1939		National Revolutionary Party	Acting President.
—	100px	Augusto Samuel Boyd (1879–1957)	—	18 December 1939	1 October 1940		National Revolutionary Party	Acting President.
10	100px	Arnulfo Arias (1901–1988)	1940	1 October 1940	9 October 1941		National Revolutionary Party	First tenure. Deposed in a coup d'état.
11	100px	Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia Arango (1899–1969)	—	9 October 1941	15 June 1945		Independent
—	100px	Enrique Adolfo Jiménez (1888–1970)	1945	15 June 1945	7 August 1948		National Liberal Party	Provisional President.
12	100px	Domingo Díaz Arosemena (1875–1949)	1948	7 August 1948	28 July 1949		National Liberal Party	Resigned after a heart attack, and died less than a month later.
13		Daniel Chanis Pinzón (1892–1961)	—	28 July 1949	20 November 1949		National Liberal Party
14	100px	Roberto Francisco Chiari Remón (1905–1981)	—	20 November 1949	24 November 1949		National Liberal Party	First tenure.
(10)	100px	Arnulfo Arias (1901–1988)	—	24 November 1949	9 May 1951		Panameñista Party	Second tenure.
15		Alcibíades Arosemena (1883–1958)	—	9 May 1951	1 October 1952		Authentic Revolutionary Party
16		José Antonio Remón Cantera (1908–1955)	1952	1 October 1952	2 January 1955		National Patriotic Coalition	Assassinated.
17		José Ramón Guizado (1899–1964)	—	2 January 1955	29 March 1955		National Patriotic Coalition
18	100px	Ricardo Arias (1912–1993)	—	29 March 1955	1 October 1956		National Patriotic Coalition
19		Ernesto de la Guardia (1904–1983)	1956	1 October 1956	1 October 1960	years	National Patriotic Coalition
(14)	100px	Roberto Francisco Chiari Remón (1905–1981)	1960	1 October 1960	17 March 1963		National Liberal Party	Second tenure.
—		Bernardino González Ruiz (1911–2012)	—	17 March 1963	23 March 1963		Democratic Action Party	Acting president.
(14)	100px	Roberto Francisco Chiari Remón (1905–1981)	—	23 March 1963	1 October 1964		National Liberal Party	Second tenure.
20		Marco Aurelio Robles (1908–1990)	1964	1 October 1964	1 October 1968	years	National Liberal Party
(10)	100px	Arnulfo Arias (1901–1988)	1968	1 October 1968	11 October 1968		Panameñista Party	Third tenure. Deposed in a coup d'état.
—		José María Pinilla Fábrega (1919–1979)	—	12 October 1968	18 December 1969		Armed Forces	Chairman of the Provisional Junta.
21		Colonel Bolívar Urrutia Parrilla (1918–2005)					Armed Forces	President.
—	100px	Demetrio B. Lakas (1925–1999)	—	18 December 1969	19 December 1969		Independent	Chairman of the Provisional Junta to 11 October 1972.
22			1972	19 December 1969	11 October 1978
23	100px	Aristides Royo (born 1940)	1978	11 October 1978	31 July 1982		Democratic Revolutionary Party
24		Ricardo de la Espriella (born 1934)	—	31 July 1982	13 February 1984		Democratic Revolutionary Party
25		Jorge Illueca (1918–2012)	—	13 February 1984	11 October 1984		Independent
26		Nicolás Ardito Barletta Vallarino (born 1938)	1984	11 October 1984	28 September 1985		Democratic Revolutionary Party
—	100px	Eric Arturo Delvalle (1937–2015)	—	28 September 1985	26 February 1988		Republican Party	Acting President.
—		Manuel Solís Palma (1917–2009)	—	26 February 1988	1 September 1989		Democratic Revolutionary Party	Acting President.
—		Francisco Rodríguez (born 1938)	—	1 September 1989	20 December 1989		Democratic Revolutionary Party	Provisional President. Served at the time of the 1989 coup attempt. Deposed in the US invasion.
27		Guillermo Endara (1936–2009)	1989	20 December 1989	1 September 1994		Panameñista Party
28	100px	Ernesto Pérez Balladares (born 1946)	1994	1 September 1994	1 September 1999	years	Democratic Revolutionary Party
29		Mireya Moscoso (born 1946)	1999	1 September 1999	1 September 2004	years	Panameñista Party	Widow of Arnulfo Arias.
30		Martín Torrijos (born 1963)	2004	1 September 2004	1 July 2009		Democratic Revolutionary Party	Son of Omar Torrijos.
31		Ricardo Martinelli (born 1951)	2009	1 July 2009	1 July 2014	years	Democratic Change
32	100px	Juan Carlos Varela (born 1963)	2014	1 July 2014	1 July 2019	years	Panameñista Party
33	100px	Laurentino Cortizo (born 1953)	2019	1 July 2019	Incumbent (Term ends on 1 July 2024)		Democratic Revolutionary Party

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.

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Military affiliation	Notes
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1	100px	Brigadier-General Omar Torrijos (1929–1981)	11 October 1968	31 July 1981		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		National Guard
3		General Manuel Noriega (1934–2017)	12 August 1983	20 December 1989		National Guard	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

Main article: 2019 Panamanian general election

See also

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