President-elect Santiago Peña (center) celebrates his electoral triumph in Asunción. Photo: Raúl Martínez/EFE/Folhapress
The Colorado Party, which has dominated Paraguayan politics since the 1940s, has won another five years in office as Santiago Peña, a former finance minister, won Sunday’s presidential election.
The 44-year-old Mr. Peña maintained a steady and comfortable lead throughout the vote count. With 96 percent of the ballots counted, he had amassed more than 43 percent of the vote and a 16-point lead over Efraín Alegre, the anti-establishment challenger backed by a broad coalition.
In his concession speech, Mr. Alegre urged the opposition to unite behind the common goal of unseating the Colorados. “We have made a significant effort to unite all sectors; perhaps it was not enough,” he lamented.
The outgoing president, Mario Abdo Benítez, also a member of the Colorado Party, congratulated the winner. “We will work to initiate an orderly and transparent transition that will strengthen our institutions and the country’s democracy,” Mr. Benítez said on Twitter.
Felicitaciones al pueblo paraguayo por su gran participación en esta jornada electoral y al presidente electo @SantiPenap. Trabajaremos para iniciar una transición ordenada y transparente, que fortalezca a nuestras instituciones y a la democracia del país.
— Marito Abdo (@MaritoAbdo) April 30, 2023
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