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Nearly 5 million Paraguayans went to the polls, on an electoral day that did not allow a second round, to choose their new president. This time, the country did not take a political turn, as is the trend in the region, leaving Santiago Peña, from the Colorado Party, as the new president who will take office for five years on August 15. In this edition of El Debate we analyze the result of the elections in Paraguay, surprising for some and not so much for others.
The Colorado Party once again prevailed in the Paraguayan elections. With 99 percent of the votes counted, the pro-government candidate Santiago Peña obtained 43% of the vote, beating two contenders who divided the opposition vote: Efraín Alegre with 27%, followed by Paraguayo (Payo) Cubas.
Who is the new president of the Paraguayans?
Santiago Peña, 44, is seen by many quarters as part of the new generation of politicians from the traditional Colorado Party. He is an economist by training and today he is the new president of Paraguay. In the past, Peña worked as an economist at the International Monetary Fund in the city of Washington and as Minister of Finance in the Government of former President Horario Cartes.
Paraguay said yes to continuity. For some, Peña represents a renewal and a new breath within the Colorado Party, but other sectors fear that he has little independence from his political godfather, Horacio Cartes.
His electoral campaign was focused on proposals to revitalize the Paraguayan economy, a campaign with many promises, but few ideas on how to achieve what was promised, such as the creation of 500,000 jobs, the reduction of fuel prices, the fight against insecurity and drug trafficking, improve educational and health services, among other campaign promises.
On the other side of the political spectrum was Efraín Alegre, a candidate representing a grand coalition called the Concertación Nacional and seeking to be the president of the political alternation in a country politically dominated by the Colorado Party.
How much governance maneuver will Peña have? What should be the priorities of your government? Why political change and alternation did not take place in these elections? How will the new government handle the already strained relations with the United States and its Mercosur counterparts? We break it down on this show with the help of our guests:
– Esteban Caballero, political analyst and teacher at FLACSO Paraguay.
– Gustavo Setrini, PhD, political scientist and teacher at FLACSO Paraguay.
