Paraguay: Far-Right Presidential Candidate Paraguayo Cubas Arrested

Paraguay presidential election may be over, but the drama is not, as authorities arrested far-right presidential candidate Paraguayo Cubas, who placed third, police said on Friday.

Cubas was reportedly arrested after he incited his supporters to protest the country's election results. Colorado Party candidate Santiago Peña was declared the winner in Sunday's presidential election with 43% of the vote.

The party's candidates have won the Paraguayan presidency for over half a century. After the results were officially announced, Cubas allegedly urged his supporters to protest the election results.

Much like the other right-wing candidates in the Americas who lost their respective elections, like Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro, he also presented unsubstantiated claims, like there were massive amounts of fraud that led to his electoral defeat.

According to the Associated Press, Cubas, who was part of the far-right National Crusade Party, was live-streaming on Facebook when Paraguayan police arrested him outside his hotel in San Lorenzo.

He reportedly continued streaming live after he got inside the police car. As he streamed his arrest live from the police car, he was seen chatting with police officers and often focused the camera on his handcuffs.

"You can see now I'm being imprisoned... All the criminals in this country should be handcuffed like Paraguayo Cubas," he said in the video.

Presidential Candidate of Paraguay, Paraguayo Cubas, Charged for Alleged Peace Violation

Paraguayo Cubas has called for a recount as he disputed the election results and sparked protests. Cubas placed third in the elections, only garnering 23% of the votes.

He was defeated by the new president-elect and second-place finisher Efrain Alegre, who led a coalition of opposition parties.

According to Reuters, his calls for protests and recounts come even after international organizations have confirmed that there weren't any anomalies found in Paraguay's presidential election.

When he was arrested, Cubas was reportedly on the final leg of his planned trip to the capital, Asuncion, to protest the election at an electoral court.

Based on the arrest warrant issued by the attorney general's office, Cubas was charged with "disrupting the peace" and other crimes.

Cubas had been telling supporters since Monday that he was heading to Asuncion to lead a series of protests. His supporters then blocked roads in Asuncion late Monday and clashed with police outside an electoral court.

Paraguayo Cubas' Political Rival Joins Calls For His Freedom

Efrain Alegre was among those calling for the imprisoned former candidate's freedom. Like Paraguayo Cubas, he was also calling for a manual recount.

"We demand an inspection and opening of all records," said Alegre in a social media post. "Because without an inspection, the public will not accept as legitimate a result they do not believe in. Why is there so much fear that citizens will find out what really happened?"

Alegre has already conceded to Santiago Peña but still blasted the ruling Colorado Party for Cubas' detention, saying, "We demand the freedom of Paraguayo Cubas and all citizens imprisoned for asking for transparency."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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