PANAMA CITY, Panama, May 3 (UPI) -- Panamanians have elected the son of a former dictator as the country's new president, local news sources reported Monday.
With a majority of the ballots counted, Martin Torrijos is declaring himself the victor in Sunday's contest over former President Guillermo Endara, who conceded defeat.
He is the son of Gen. Omar Torrijos, who ruled Panama from 1968 until his death in 1981.
According to La Prensa newspaper, nearly 80 percent of Panama's 2.8 million citizens headed to the polls to elect the nation's first leader since it regained control of the Panama Canal from the United States in 1999.
Torrijos, 40, an economist, will replace outgoing President Mireya Moscoso, who was Panama's first woman president.
