(Reuters) -Panama's top court on Friday ruled the presidential candidacy of ex-President Ricardo Martinelli's former running mate Jose Raul Mulino is constitutional, days before the election.
Mulino joined the race in March as Martinelli's replacement, after Martinelli was removed from the race due to a nearly 11-year sentence for money laundering. Recent polls place Mulino as the favorite to win the May 5 vote.
Panama's top court said "the sovereign will of the Panamanian people" moved their decision, emphasizing the importance of preserving democracy, institutional integrity, social peace, and citizens' right to vote.
Martinelli was leading the polls before being excluded, and the latest surveys show Mulino inherited his popularity. Martinelli had been backing Mulino through social media from the Nicaraguan embassy, where he has been living after his sentence after being granted asylum.
(Reporting by Natalia Siniawski and Valentine Hillaire; editing by Gabriel Araujo; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
