Paraguay Elections: Santiago Peña Projected to Win Presidency With Nearly All Votes Counted

Paraguay finally held its presidential elections last Sunday. The long-ruling Colorado Party's candidate, Santiago Peña, is winning the majority of the votes, with 99% of voting places already canvassed.

According to the Associated Press, Peña is projected to win as he currently has 43% of the vote, compared to 27% for the closest challenger, Efrain Alegre.

Alegre is part of the Pact for a New Paraguay, which is a coalition of opposition parties that hoped to end the long-governing Colorado Party's dominance in Paraguayan politics.

There is widespread discontent over high levels of corruption and deficiencies in the health and education systems in Paraguay, which worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the country has a relatively stable economy, it still has high levels of poverty. The opposition attributed this to the Colorado Party's long grip on the presidency.

However, last Sunday's elections were not just for the presidency, as Paraguayans also voted for members of their country's Congress.

There is still no official declaration of the results, but as the country waits for the reports of the rest of the voting places, Peña has already been called "president-elect" by outgoing President Mario Abdo Benitez.

"Today we're not celebrating a personal triumph, we're celebrating the victory of a people who, with their vote, chose the path of social peace, dialogue, fraternity, and national reconciliation," Peña stated in a speech as he declared his victory. "Long live Paraguay! Long live the Colorado Party!"

Many in Paraguay Believe That Nothing Will Change After the Elections

With the Colorado Party retaining the presidency, many in Paraguay were not happy as they continue to see that nothing might change in the country with Santiago Peña's victory.

However, for some Paraguayans, there might not be any change coming to the country no matter who won.

"I'm worried about crime. All the candidates are the same for me," said 34-year-old mother of three, Maria Jose Rodas, who spoke with Reuters. "Nothing will change."

Meanwhile, Ramona Oddone, a 79-year-old retired schoolteacher, stated that with all the young people voting, it showed that people really wanted change. However, this was not reflected in the results as yet another candidate from the Colorado Party, which has held the presidency since the 1950s, has won.

Paraguay to Remain Pro-Taiwan With Santiago Peña Win

The subject of Taiwan and China is a touchy one, yet for a long time, Paraguay has sided with Taiwan over its more powerful and wealthier communist counterpart. With Peña's victory, this status quo is seen to continue.

According to Al Jazeera, Paraguay is one of the only few countries to recognize Taipei over Beijing. The projected president-elect is seen as a big supporter of Taiwan, as he vowed to retain ties with the democratic country, which China considers part of its territory.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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