The Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement (, MOLIRENA) is a centre-right conservative-liberal political party in Panama.

History The MOLIRENA was founded on October 21, 1981, by the now-defunct Third Nationalist Party, National Patriotic Coalition, National Liberation Movement and factions that had earlier split off from the National Liberal Party and Republican Party.Historia del MOLIRENA This party evolved as part of an alliance of traditional, oligarchy-controlled, and primarily conservative organizations that opposed both the government and the military. Political Parties of the Americas, the 1980s to 1990s: Canada, Latin America, and the West Indies. Ed. by Charles D. Ameringer. Greenwood Press. 1992. p. 481.

According to a Soviet Union news article published in 1988:

The MOLIRENA was aptly called a 'patchwork quilt' by local journalists. The characteristic feature of the party was the link of the agrarian oligarchy with the commercial bourgeoisie, i.e. a union of the most conservative segments of the country. The names of members of MOLIRENA leaders César Arrocha Graell, Guillermo Arias, and Rene Crespo, who, as members of the government before 1968, took part in the appropriation of almost a billion dollars from the state treasury, were mentioned in the local press in connection with former 'merits.'JPRS Reports. Foreign Broadcast Information Service. 1988.

In 1984, the party was part of the Democratic Opposition Alliance (ADO), which lost the presidential and legislative elections following suspected widespread fraud by the military. Elections in the Americas: A Data Handbook. Ed. Dieter Nohlen, Vol. 1. Oxford Univ. Press, 2005. p. 533.

During 1987, the party became increasingly involved in confrontations with the government. They openly campaigned—with strikes and street demonstrations, which were violently suppressed—to effect the resignation and removal of General Manuel Noriega, who was accused of drug trafficking, electoral fraud, corruption, and murder.MOLIRENA

In May 1989, the MOLIRENA was again part of the Democratic Alliance of Civic Opposition (DAOC) coalition, which supported the presidential candidacy of Guillermo Endara of the Arnulfista Party, Elections in the Americas: A Data Handbook. Ed. Dieter Nohlen, Vol. 1. Oxford Univ. Press, 2005. p. 533. after the official ratification of the results following the US military invasion in December. Guillermo Ford became Second Vice-president of the Republic (1989–1994). During this term, Alonso Fernandez Guardia was president of the National Assembly (1991). Political Handbook of the World, 1993. New York, 1993. p. 637.

For the 1994 Panamanian general election, the party was the main component of the Alliance for Change '94, with MOLIRENA's Rubén Dario Carles as the coalition's presidential candidate. He received 171,192 votes (16.05%) and came in fourth. Elections in the Americas: A Data Handbook. Ed. Dieter Nohlen, Vol. 1. Oxford Univ. Press, 2005. p. 534.

In 1999, the MOLIRENA was allied with the Union for Panama (ADP) and its candidate Mireya Moscoso. Elections in the Americas: A Data Handbook. Ed. Dieter Nohlen, Vol. 1. Oxford Univ. Press, 2005. p. 534.

In 2004, the MOLIRENA was allied with the Vision of the Country (ADP) and its candidate José Miguel Alemán. The party won 8.6% of the popular vote and 4 out of 78 seats. Elections in the Americas: A Data Handbook. Ed. Dieter Nohlen, Vol. 1. Oxford Univ. Press, 2005. p. 535.

In 2009, it was allied with the Alliance for Change (ADP) and its candidate Ricardo Martinelli.Electoral Tribunal

In 2014, the MOLIRENA allied with the Democratic Change party, and its candidate Jose Domingo Arias, but ultimately lost the election. Afterward, the MOLIRENA's president, Sergio Gonzalez Ruiz, resigned from his post and the presidency fell to San Miguelito legislator Francisco Aleman.

Election results Presidential elections ElectionCandidateVotesVote %ResultPartyAlliance TotalPartyAlliance Total1984Arnulfo Arias30,737299,0354.8046.71 Lost1989Guillermo Endara132,011463,38820.2871.18 Elected1994Rubén Dario Carles116,478171,19210.8216.05 Lost1999Mireya Moscoso140,240572,71710.9744.80 Elected2004José Miguel Alemán60,106245,5684.0116.38 Lost2009Ricardo Martinelli94,841952,3335.9860.03 Elected2014José Domingo Arias98,519581,8285.3131.38 Lost2019Laurentino Cortizo45,664655,3022.3233.35 Elected2024José Gabriel Carrizo7,337133,7910.325.88 Lost

National Assembly elections Election Leader Votes % Seats +/– Government 1984Guillermo Ford 50,936 8.36% (#6) New 1989 122,974 20.19% (#2) 14 1994 Rubén Dario Carles 116,833 11.30% (#3) 12 1999Arturo Vallarino 92,711 7.54% (#4) 2 2004 125,547 8.64% (#4) 1 2009 70,457 4.68% (#5) 2 2014 Sergio Gonzalez Ruiz 121,815 7.16% (#4) 0 2019Francisco Aleman 92,340 5.11% (#4) 3 2024 67,908 3.17% (#7) 4

PARLACEN elections The amount of seats allocated for the PARLACEN is based on the vote share obtained by each party in the presidential election. Election Leader Votes % Seats +/– 2019Francisco Aleman 45,664 2.32% (#4) 2024 7,337 0.32% (#8) 0

See also Liberalism worldwide Liberalism in Panama

References