According to election tribunal data, Jose Raul Mulino, the protege of a graft-convicted former head of state, took the lead in Panama's presidential election on Sunday evening with half the votes counted. 

Mulino supporters gathered early in Panama City's downtown with expectations of a victory announcement.

The most recent poll shows that 64-year-old conservative lawyer Jose Raul Mulino entered the race far ahead in opinion polls, clinching a commanding 37% of the vote. Only three of the other seven contenders were close, with a dismal less than 15% of the support. 

However, he was forced to wait until Friday for a last-minute court ruling to approve his candidacy, which it did. 

Following Mulino are two center-right politicians, Ricardo Lombana, a former envoy to the United States, and Romulo Roux, the foreign minister under former president Ricardo Martinelli, a social democrat.  

According to polls, more voters remain uncertain rather than support any of Mulino's opponents.  

He succeeded Martinelli as the right-wing Realizing Goals (RM) party candidate following Martinelli's unsuccessful appeal of his money-laundering conviction. 

Mulino, who had been Martinelli's vice-presidential running mate before the former leader's disqualification, had his candidacy challenged because he had failed to secure a primary victory or select his running mate as required by law.  

A recent poll shows that the Supreme Court rejected the complaint on Friday, a decision approved by Martinelli, who most Panamanians think will exercise power from behind the scenes.

In a video that Martinelli released, Mulino saw Martinelli at the embassy after voting on Sunday. The two embraced and said, "Brother!" and "We are going to win!"   

Furthermore, the high cost of living, crime, and access to clean water are the top concerns among voters.