Marta Linares de Martinelli

Marta Linares de Martinelli (née Linares Brin; born December 1, 1956) is a Panamanian insurance broker. She became the First Lady of Panama on July 1, 2009 when her husband, Ricardo Martinelli, became President of Panama. On January 29, 2014, she was chosen to compete for Vice-President of Panama alongside Jose Domingo Arias running for President, but the pair finished in second place.

Early life
Linares was born in Panama City, Panama. She earned a Bachelor's degree in commerce in the United States, at Saint Mary of the Woods College in Indiana. She later studied insurance brokerage at the University of Panama.

Personal life
In 1978, she married supermarket chain owner Ricardo Martinelli, with whom she had three children: Ricardo Alberto, Luis Enrique, and Carolina Elizabeth.

In 1996, her brother, Carlos Luis Linares, was one of the hostages during the Japanese embassy hostage crisis.

Honours

 * 🇮🇹 Italy
 * Two Sicilian Royal Family: Dame Grand Cross of Merit of the Two Sicilian Royal Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George


 * 🇵🇹 Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (29 July 2013)