Hand in hand with his wife and with a frown, the President of the Republic, Laurentino ‘Nito’ Cortizo, went down the stairs of the Palacio de las Garzas, for the last time.

Covered with his usual black mask, the man who served as president of Panama for the past five years could not hide the marks left on his face by fatigue, age and the fight against intermediate-risk myelodysplasia.

With a slow and determined step, the 71-year-old man left the presidential house surrounded by the cheers of his cabinet. Ministers, authorities, supporters and family members shouted loudly “Long live Nito!” as he walked through the lobby of that historic building.

At the exit, his vice president, José Gabriel Carrizo, was waiting for him, and with his usual smile he greeted the media, saying, “Thank you very much.”  (Scumbag)

At the entrance, Cortizo stood firm, singing the notes of the National Anthem, which the Republican band sang with the skill to which they have accustomed us.

At the end of the piece, the ruler headed to his car and left the emblematic place without speaking to the citizens who were aware of the situation, through the media present in that place.

Behind are the anecdotes, the 845 community tours, the works that were done and those that were left undone, but, above all, there remains that bitter memory of what the leader of the nation called “The Storm of Storms”, the pandemic of Covid-19.

For Cortizo, that milestone was the one that recalibrated the direction of his mandate, as he indicated in the revelation of his in-person painting, in which he appears wearing a face mask, as a reminder of those turbulent times.

His four grandchildren and the stool that a farmer gave him when he was still a candidate are waiting for him at home, and which reflects the dynamics of an individual who spent the majority of his government going to the least favored places.

Prior to Cortizo’s departure, the last Cabinet Council was held, agreed with the sole purpose of thanking his work team, including ministers, vice ministers, directors, deputy directors and governors for the work carried out during these five years of this administration (2019- 2024).

The Chief Executive indicated that 60 months, 260 weeks have passed, and in this time as a team they have faced great challenges and adversities, such as a pandemic and that cannot be forgotten, the president recalled.

He indicated that as a team they faced two hurricanes and the vaccination strategy also had to be executed. They faced the consequences of a war, the drought, the mine issue.