Panamanians head to the polls to vote in an election that has been consumed by unfolding drama surrounding the country’s ex-president, despite not even being on the ballot.

Panamanians braved scorching heat on Sunday to vote in a general election to pick the next president in an eight-person race where much of the attention has been focused on a corruption-tainted former leader holed up in Nicaragua's embassy.

The Central American nation heads to the polls on Sunday to elect a new leader after a campaign influenced by a convicted former president who has sought refuge in Nicaragua’s Embassy.

Panamanians began voting in Sunday's general election to choose one of eight contenders to be the nation's next president in a race where much of the attention has been focused on a corruption-tainted former president holed up in Nicaragua's embassy.