The candidate of the long-standing governing party has won the presidential election in Paraguay. According to the provisional official count of more than 96 percent of the votes, the conservative Peña was well ahead of his rival Alegre with 42.8 percent.
The candidate of the ruling conservative Colorado party, Santiago Peña, won the presidential election in Paraguay. After counting almost all the ballots, the 44-year-old economist and former finance minister received 42.8 percent, as the electoral authority announced on Sunday.
His challenger Efraín Alegre, who competed for the center-left alliance Concertacion, came up with 27.5 percent. Third place went to the candidate Payo Cubas, who appeared as a critic of the system, with all other applicants trailing far behind.
“Thank you for this win in Paraguay,” Peña said. Acting President Mario Abdo congratulated him and called him “the President-elect”. Polls had predicted a close race between Peña and his main rival Alegre. The opposition candidate had tried to score with allegations of bribery against the leadership of the ruling party.
Opposition candidate Alegre wanted to fight corruption in the country.
Economist Peña will take office in August
In the past 76 years, the Colorado Party has lost just one election in the South American country – and was not in power from 2008 to 2013. In 2018, Alegre lost to Mario Abdo Benítez, the now outgoing incumbent. Abdo Benítez was not allowed to stand again for constitutional reasons – the president is only allowed one term.
In addition to the president, the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies and the governors were also newly elected on Sunday. According to the electoral authority, the Colorado party also appeared to have defended its majority in parliament.
Peña will take office in August. He faces the challenge of restarting Paraguay’s agriculture-dependent economy, reducing its large budget deficit and meeting mounting pressure from soybean and beef producers to abandon trade with Taiwan in favor of huge markets in China.
relations with Taiwan
The election is therefore being observed particularly closely abroad. Paraguay is one of only 13 countries to have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. China regards democratically-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province and cracks down on any foreign government that recognizes the island as autonomous.
Paraguay is plagued by many massive problems. Located between Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil, the country is a transit area for drug smuggling; Corruption and poverty are rampant. Along with Bolivia, it 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.