Paraguay Elections Results

On April 30, Paraguay held general elections to elect the president, vice president, National Congress, and departmental governors. Pro-government leader Santiago Peña won the presidency and will be inaugurated in August 2023. Peña, of the conservative Colorado Party, received 43% of the votes while Efrain Alegre who led a center-left coalition came in second with 27.4%.

The Colorado Party has been in power almost uninterruptedly for more than 70 years and president-elect Peña will give the country continuity despite allegations of corruption against former president and current party leader, Horacio Cartes.

This election comes during an important time, as Paraguay is one of the few countries in the world with formal diplomatic ties to Taiwan in a region where China’s presence continues to expand. Presidential candidate Alegre had been very vocal about establishing a relationship with Beijing and removing Paraguay’s support from Taipei. President-elect Peña’s election, then, will give continuity to Paraguay’s relationship with Taiwan and further limits China’s influence in the country while strengthening ties with the United States.