Latin America
No change of power in Paraguay: Peña elected president
Santiago Pena, the ruling Colorado party’s presidential candidate, speaks in Asuncion. photo
© Jorge Saenz/AP
The conservative Santiago Peña used to be finance minister. As head of state in the country with almost seven million inhabitants, he now wants to concentrate primarily on its economic development.
The candidate of the long-standing governing party has won the presidential election in Paraguay. Santiago Peña (44) from the conservative Colorado party achieved 42.8 percent of the votes after counting almost all the ballots, as the national electoral authority announced yesterday (local time).
MP Efraín Alegre (60), who was nominated by several opposition parties and who was about the same in polls, came up with 27.5 percent. The candidate Payo Cubas (61), who appeared as a critic of the system, took third place, all other applicants were far behind.
In the past 76 years, the Partido Colorado has lost just one election in the South American country – and was not in power from 2008 to 2013. Five years ago, Alegre lost to Mario Abdo Benítez, the outgoing incumbent. Abdo Benítez was not allowed to stand again for constitutional reasons – the president is only allowed one term.
Peña used to be finance minister and above all wants to promote the country’s economic development. Opposition candidate Alegre had tried to score points with allegations of bribery against the ruling party’s leadership.
Paraguay has almost seven million inhabitants and, along with Bolivia, is the only country in South America without access to the sea. The main exports are soy, electricity and beef. During the corona pandemic, numerous opponents of vaccination emigrated from Germany to Paraguay.
In addition to the President, the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies and the governors were also newly elected yesterday. According to the electoral authority, the Colorado party also appeared to have defended its majority in parliament.