Realizing Goals (Spanish: Realizando Metas, RM) is a conservative political party in Panama. It was recognized by the Electoral Tribunal of Panama on 24 March 2021.[8] The party is led by the former president of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli. As of February 2023, the party had 234,634 members.[9] It has been the ruling party since José Raúl Mulino was sworn in as president on 1 July 2024.
History
Realizing Goals was founded by Ricardo Martinelli after splitting from the Democratic Change (CD) party. After Martinelli was arrested for illegal wiretapping during his presidency on 12 June 2017, Rómulo Roux took over as a leader of the Democratic Change party.[10] After Martinelli was acquitted of the charges in August 2019, he demanded the renewal of CD's board of directors, but was rejected. In February 2020, a faction led by Martinelli decided to renounce CD and create the Realizing Goals party.[11]
Initially, the new party was proposed as the "Martinelist Party". However, the electoral regulations rejected it, as it is forbidden to name a party using the name of a living person.[11] As an alternative, several names were chosen using the initials of the former president Martinelli (RM), with Realizing Goals (Realizando Metas) being the most accepted. After holding a constitutive convention and collecting the necessary signatures, the electoral authorities officially recognized the party on 24 March 2021.
For the 2024 general election, the party initially nominated Martinelli as a presidential candidate, seeking his second presidential term.[12] After Martinelli was convicted on money laundering charges in July 2023, and the Supreme Court rejected his appeal on 2 February 2024, he was rendered ineligible to be president.[13]José Raúl Mulino, Martinelli's choice for vice president, became the party's candidate for President instead.[13]
