Arnulfista Party

The Arnulfista Party is one of the chief political parties of Panama. The party is also known as Partido Arnulfista. It is one of the several political parties of Panama that do not come to power as individual political entities, but enter into a merger with other strong political parties to operate as a coalition.

Formation of Arnulfista Party

Mireya Moscoso founded the Arnulfista Party in 1990. She is the widow of Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid, the well-known president of Panama who had risen as the president thrice in the history of Panama politics. The Arnulfista Party has been named after him. Moscoso became the president of the Arnulfista Party in 1991.

History of Arnulfista Party

The Arnulfista Party had been a part of the coalition that came to power in the 1990 elections in Panama. Dr. Arnulfo Escalona led the party at that point, and the current President Endara belonged to the party. It operated in a coalition government with the National Liberal Republican Movement and the Christian Democratic Party. In the 1999 elections the Arnulfista Party was lead by Mireya Moscoso, who won the presidential election in that year to become the first woman president of Panama. She was also the immediate past president of the country, occupying the president's office from 1999 to 2004.

The Arnulfista Party accomplished 19.2 % of popular vote and 17 out of 78 seats in the last legislative elections of Panama held in May 2004. Jose Miguel Aleman of the Partido Arnulfista of the Arnulfista Party attained 16.4 % of popular vote in the presidential elections of Panama held in the same day.