Conservative Party Of Paraguay Wins Presidential Election, Easing Taiwan Concerns
Conservative party of Paraguay wins presidential election, easing Taiwan concerns as Santiago Pena, the conservative Colorado Party's candidate, emerged as the winner in Paraguay's presidential election on Sunday with a 15-point lead over his center-left rival, Efrain Alegre. With over 99% of the ballots counted, Pena secured 42.7% of the votes. Pena has pledged to maintain the country's diplomatic ties with Taiwan, easing concerns about a shift towards China.
In his victory speech, he called for unity and consensus to tackle the challenges of revitalizing the farm-driven economy, reducing the fiscal deficit, and addressing the growing pressure to switch allegiance to China from soy and beef producers. The congressional elections and governor races also saw a strong performance by the Colorado and right-wing party candidates, with some provinces recording a historic majority. Current President Mario Abdo and the leaders of Brazil and Argentina congratulated Pena as the "president-elect."
The victory of Santiago Pena in Paraguay's presidential election highlights the continued dominance of the Colorado Party, which has ruled for 70 of the last 75 years despite some voters' dissatisfaction with the slow economy and corruption allegations. As one voter in Asuncion noted, "Once a Colorado always a Colorado."
Dry weather reportedly contributed to high voter turnout, with queues forming even after polling stations were supposed to close at 4 p.m. (20:00 GMT). The observer from the Organization of American States (OAS) electoral mission noted the high levels of participation throughout the day.
Despite Santiago Pena's victory, many Paraguayan voters expressed dissatisfaction with the political establishment, as shown by the unexpectedly high support for Paraguayo Cubas, a populist candidate who received nearly 23% of the vote. This trend reflects the growing support for anti-establishment politicians throughout Latin America.
COPYRIGHT_BP: Published on https://bingepost.com/conservative-party-of-paraguay-wins-presidential-election-easing-taiwan-concerns/ by Cecilia Jones on 2023-05-02T02:58:32.283Z
One voter, 34-year-old Maria Jose Rodas, expressed concern about crime and felt that all candidates were the same. However, others, such as 79-year-old retired schoolteacher Ramona Oddone, were optimistic about the election and saw it as an opportunity for change, citing the large number of young people participating as evidence that people want a new direction. Despite dominating Paraguayan politics since the 1950s, the Colorado Party's popularity has been negatively impacted by the country's sluggish economy and allegations of corruption.
The Paraguayan presidential election has been marked by the candidates' positions on the economy, corruption allegations, and the country's relationship with Taiwan. Paraguay is one of the few nations that has maintained official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which China considers to be a part of its territory.
Following the election, Taiwan's ambassador in Asuncion congratulated Pena on his victory on behalf of President Tsai Ing-wen. Taiwan's foreign ministry also issued a statement expressing a commitment to continue to deepen cooperation and exchanges with Paraguay.
In contrast, Alegre had criticized Paraguay's relationship with Taiwan, arguing that it made it difficult to sell soy and beef to China, a major global buyer. However, Pena had promised to maintain ties with Taiwan.
Alegre also expressed concern about reports of voter obstruction in the north of the country and pledged not to give in to attempts to prevent citizens from participating in the election.
Conclusion
Despite concerns about voter obstruction and a lack of hope among some voters, many Paraguayans turned out to cast their ballots. Fiorella Moreno, a 23-year-old ice cream vendor, felt that none of the candidates offered hope to her generation but believed that not voting would make her part of the problem.
