PARAGUAY: Santiago Pena, a 44-year-old conservative Paraguayan economist, won the presidential vote on Sunday, strengthening the Colorado Party’s hold on power and allaying concerns that diplomatic relations with Taiwan might be severed.
Pena, who has promised to maintain Paraguay’s long-standing ties with Taiwan, had 42.7 per cent of the vote with 99.9% of ballots tallied, a lead of more than 15 points over his centre-left opponent, Efrain Alegre, who has contended for switching allegiance to China.
Pena expressed gratitude in a speech, saying, “Thank you for this Colorado victory; thank you for this Paraguayan victory.” Alegre accepted the outcome. Mario Abdo, the current president, and the leaders of Brazil and Argentina congratulated Pena on becoming “president-elect.”
Colorado and right-wing party candidates also scored well in the congressional and governorship elections, with several provinces registering a historic Colorado victory over the opposition.
The election outcome leaves Pena confronting a challenge to revive Paraguay’s agricultural economy, reduce a sizable fiscal deficit, and deal with mounting pressure from soy and beef producers to abandon Taiwan in favour of China and its sizable markets.
In his victory address, Pena urged “unity and consensus,” saying, “We have a lot to do after the last years of economic stagnation and fiscal deficit; the task that awaits us is not for a single person or for a party.”
It also emphasises the dominance of the Colorado Party, which has had a strong campaign machine and controlled government for all but five of the previous 75 years, despite growing anger among some voters about the weakening economy and corruption charges.
Analysts claimed that the dry weather encouraged voter turnout because there were lines to cast ballots well after the polling stations were supposed to close at 4 p.m. (2000 GMT).
An observer for the Organisation of American States (OAS) electoral mission stated, “We’ve seen high levels of participation all day.”
Not all voters were happy with the results, as seen by the populist Paraguayo Cubas’ higher-than-expected third-place vote total of over 23%, which reflected larger support for anti-establishment candidates across Latin America.
“I’m worried about crime. All the candidates are the same as me. Nothing will change,” said Maria Jose Rodas, a 34-year-old mother of three.
Ramona Oddone, who was eager for a change of pace, was among the first in line to cast her ballot at the Mariscal Francisco Solano López school in the nation’s capital, Asuncion.
The 79-year-old retired teacher said, “Look at all the young people taking part—that shows people want change. They need jobs, and I need a better pension.”
Since the 1950s, the landlocked South American nation has been ruled by the Colorado Party. However, a sluggish economy and corruption allegations have hurt its popularity.
The economy, charges of corruption, and the candidates’ positions in Taiwan have dominated the run-up to the election. Only 13 countries, including Paraguay, have formal diplomatic relations with the democratically run island that China claims as its own.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry announced that Pena received congratulations from Taiwan’s ambassador to Asuncion on behalf of President Tsai Ing-wen.
“Based on shared values such as democracy and freedom and the traditional friendship between the two countries, our country will continue to deepen cooperation and exchanges with the new government of Paraguay,” said the ministry.
Alegre had criticised those connections, saying they had made it difficult to export soy and beef to China, a significant international customer. Pena stated he would keep in touch with Taiwan.
Alegre stated on Sunday that he would not “give in” to attempts to suppress voter turnout and warned that there had been allegations of voter intimidation in the country’s northern regions.
Also Read: Erdogan Taken Ill on Live TV Disrupting His Turkish Election Plans
