Blank Votes Dominate JLRA Elections; Congressman Gómez to Lead Youth Wing

The youth wing elections of Paraguay's Authentic Radical Liberal Party (JLRA) mirrored the dissatisfaction seen in the main party's presidential race, with a substantial number of young voters opting for blank ballots. Sol Quintana, daughter of the liberal martyr Rodrigo Quintana, finished fourth in the race for JLRA president.

Congressman Pedro José Gómez Silva, known as "Pedrito" Gómez, secured the presidency of the youth wing, a role he will hold until 2031. Gómez, a member of the influential Gómez clan from Limpio, ran under the Nuevo Liberalismo movement, which is aligned with the governor of Central and presidential hopeful Ricardo Estigarribia. Gómez garnered 32,251 votes, representing 44.24% of the participation.

Despite the election of a new leader, the JLRA presidency has become largely symbolic. Historically, PLRA presidents have been reluctant to transfer the 10% of state funding allocated to the youth organization as stipulated by party statutes. This has rendered the position largely testimonial in recent decades.

Other candidates included Matías Mayeregger, who came in second with 10,282 votes (14.10%), and Lucas Retamozo, who secured third place with 6,932 votes (9.51%). Sol Quintana received 5,927 votes, accounting for 8.13% of the total. The high number of blank votes, over 17,000 out of 72,900 participants, underscores a broader sentiment of disillusionment among the party's younger members.

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