Mass influx from early morning and cross accusations between the ruling party and the opposition characterize the start of voting day in the general elections in Paraguay, where 4.8 million citizens are called to the polls this Sunday. to elect the President of the Republic, Senators, Deputies, Governors and Councilors of Departments.

The main unknown, according to recent polls, is that Santiago PeñaColorado’s ruling party candidate, will or will not defeat the opposition Ephraim Alegre, leader of the Concertación, a conglomerate of centre-left parties. The most recent polls show technical draw between both applicants.

The opening of the polls began at 7:00 am local time (5:00 am in central Mexico) at the start of what is expected to be a very hot day, and while participation data has not yet been released by authorities, TV channel images show Long lines at the polling stations.

Suffrage in Paraguay is compulsory, but sanctions in case of abstention are insignificant and in most cases they are not enforced, so that, in practice, attendance at polling stations is highly voluntary.

Both the ruling party and the opposition were accused of provoking voting at different tables. Coloradism even speaks of “attempts to attempt violence in some places in the center of the country”, while the opposition claims that in the local Ybi Pyta (Hinterland), armed groups linked to drug trafficking and the ruling party are preventing the right to vote.

At the polling station where the former president voted Horace Karts, your security staff ABC Color journalist Brian Caceres was thrown to the ground. when the informant attempted to ask a few questions also to the chairman of the Colorado party, who was sanctioned by the United States authorities in late January for considering his “significantly corrupt.”

Paraguayans living abroad also vote in 17 polling stations located in Argentina, Brazil, USA and Spain, countries where the majority of the emigrant community is concentrated.

Incidents at various polling stations

In an information card shared with Aristegui News This Sunday, Daniel Zovatto, Regional Director of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (Idea), noted that the election began “with great expectations”.

He emphasized that all 4,782,940 Paraguayans are called to the polls. in 1,140 polling stations in Paraguay with 12,171 registration desks.

“Civil Day began with minor incidents in educational institutions where voting is allowed,” he said, referring to disagreement between the Colorado party and the opposition.

Tensions are rising due to incidents at various polling stations. Opposition candidate Efrain Alegre stated that “at gunpoint” the subjects detained their representatives at a polling station in the department of Canindeio, in connection with which he demanded the intervention of the security forces.

According to the electoral law, voters have only three minutes to be in a dark room while voting. Tables are scheduled to close at 4pm.

Whoever wins, future president’s tasks ‘will be huge’: Zovatto

Defeat the official candidate Santiago Peña or the opposition Efrain Alegre, Paraguay’s problems after this Sunday’s general election are “enormous,” said Daniel Zovatto. regional director of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance in an interview with the agency EFE.

” governing the country It’s at the center of the agenda,” he said.

Polls Predict very tight result with the possibility of change of power.

“But the news, in addition to a technical draw, strong growth registered by the third candidate, Payo Cubas, in recent weeks, which has grown from 15% to 23%,” says Zovatto.

“I don’t think it will be enough for him to win and compete, butBecause this is a one-round election,” says the Argentine political scientist and lawyer, who has participated in more than fifty election observation missions.

Elections this Sunday eighth since the return of Paraguay to democracy. The center-right Party of Colorado has won six times. Opposition, only in 2008, with ex-bishop Fernando Lugo on the left. So, barring the 2008–2012 brackets, Coloradism has ruled continuously since 1947, including the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner (1954–1989).

“We are facing an unprecedented event” points out Zovatto, who points out that this continued exercise of power allows Coloradism to have very good control and implementation throughout the territory, a network of government officials and a very high level of affiliation”

Despite the fact that the majority of Paraguayans do not trust the electoral body (only 13% support it, compared to 31% on average in Latin America), the IDEA director believes that “the electoral system transparent enough to guarantee the credibility of these elections.”

“Another thing is political financing and the extent to which competition is created in conditions of fairness, because the ruling party always has an advantage there,” he adds.

Political finance is linked to the problem of corruption. On January 27, the United States imposed sanctions against the Vice President of Paraguay. Hugo Velasquez, and former president Horace Kart (2013-2018). He described the latter as “significantly corrupt”.

But this did not stop Cartes from remaining as president of the Colorado Party and his political dolphin, Santiago Peñawas imposed on the internal elections of the ruling party.

US sanctions “They made an impact financially, because they forced former President Cartes to reorganize his business, and this resulted in a decrease in the availability of resources” for the election campaign, a campaign “which was not exactly characterized by in-depth discussion,” Zovatto points out.

According to the regional director of IDEA, an opponent of Efrain Alegre, “with a strong anti-mafia and anti-corruption discourse”, focused on the fact that the moment of alternation has come, while the official Santiago Peña speaks of “changes within the succession”.

“There were no programs, no technical, precise, rigorous discussion. What Paraguay needs is to restore economic growth.because the country has been hit hard by the pandemic, the drought and the economic downturn.”

Indeed, Paraguay experienceda sharp slowdown from 2019 to 2022, year in which growth fell below 1%.

Forecasts for 2023 speak of 5.3%, the pace needed to solve problems inflation slowdown, job creation and social debt generated by poverty and the very poor quality of health care and education, Zovatto elaborates.

In terms of international relations, the analyst believes that Chinese investment in the agricultural and livestock sector can tip the scales in favor of Beijing and that, in the medium term, Paraguay would break off relations with Taiwan.

The growing influence of the Asian giant may also put pressure in favor of unlocking and implementing once and for all the Strategic Association Agreement between the European Union and MERCOSUR, which has been negotiated for twenty-five years, “because otherwise The delay still presents a very important opportunity for China, which acts much faster,” Zovatto explains.

This political expert does not rule out that the President of Paraguay, elected this Sunday, located next to Uruguay and the provisions of the Treaty of Asuncion (an agreement establishing MERCOSUR, signed in 1991) should be reviewed in the light of trade negotiations with China.

And also what I raised with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva itaipu treaty needs to be revised, whereby Paraguay sells the surplus energy of this hydroelectric plant, the second largest in the world and the first in Latin America, to the South American colossus.

“We will have to see how the Congress is integrated into analyze control conditions which the new President will have to face with the agenda of the big challenges that Paraguay is facing,” concludes the Regional Director of IDEA.

(According to information from EFE And Aristegui News)