(Asuncion) A 59-year-old centrist lawyer, already a two-time presidential candidate, and a 44-year-old economist from the ruling conservative party will be the main candidates for the April 2023 presidential election in Paraguay.
The Colorado Party, which has been in power for more than 70 years in the South American country – with the exception of a left-wing parenthesis from 2008 to 2012 – appointed economist Santiago Peña, who was supported by the former head of state. Horacio Cards (2013-2018).
Mr. Peña narrowly defeated, with more than 51% of the votes, a former minister, Arnoldo Wiens, supported by current Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benitez, a rival of Mr. Cartes, in a fratricidal struggle between two currents of the hegemonic Colorado Party.
“We want to work with everyone to keep the Colorado party running the Republic,” the primary winner said in a call for party unity.
At the same time, Messrs. Abdo and Cartes were in the running for the Colorado Party presidency, which went to Mr. Cartes, a tobacco industry tycoon who was banned this year from entering the United States, which he accuses of corruption.
In the National Concert, an opposition coalition around the Liberal Party, Efrain Alegre won the primary with nearly 60% of the vote, and promised to end the reign of Colorado, a “hundred-year-old large and powerful party, today hostage of international organized crime, no more and no less”
PHOTO NORBERTO DUARTE, FRANCE-PRESSE AGENCY
An advertisement showing Efrain Alegre (left), who will head the National Concert
Mr. Alegre, a former minister of leftist President Fernando Lugo (2008-2012) was narrowly beaten in 2018 by current head of state Mario Abdo.
The president of the Superior Court of Electoral Justice Jaime Bestard hailed “successful elections, almost without incident, a real civic celebration”. Concerns about the holding of the primaries had followed, in September, the fire which had partly ravaged the court, destroying thousands of electronic ballot boxes.
Paraguay (7.5 million inhabitants) must elect its president, vice-president, senators and deputies on April 30 in general elections.