Municipal Elections: Judging of tally sheets from the interior begins

Paraguay's ruling Colorado Party has begun the critical process of judging electoral tally sheets from the interior of the country, a key step towards the municipal elections scheduled for October 4. After concluding the review of records in the capital, the Party's Electoral Tribunal is now opening envelopes containing results from the departments of Concepción, San Pedro, and Cordillera.

The electoral calendar indicates that on June 16, tally sheets from Guairá, Caaguazú, Caazapá, and Itapúa will be examined. The following day, June 17, is expected to be tense as the records from Paraguarí are opened. In this department, the incumbent mayor Marcelo Simbrón, who lost his bid for re-election, has raised questions about the results.

According to preliminary election results, Osmar Galeano of the "cartista" faction secured 4,679 votes in Paraguarí, while Simbrón received only 1,797. Similar dissatisfaction is reported in Ybycuí, where Ever Rivas won by a narrow margin of 87 votes over "cartista" candidate Cristina Servín. Further tension exists in Sapucái, where Danilo Cuevas and Ariel "Lilo" Monges are separated by just 13 votes in their race for mayor.

The review process will continue with departments like Alto Paraná and Central on June 18 and 19, where "cartistas" in Ñemby are reportedly unhappy with their defeat. The vote counting is set to pause for a holiday before resuming on June 23, covering departments such as Ñeembucú, Amambay, Canindeyú, Presidente Hayes, Alto Paraguay, and Boquerón. The meticulous counting aims to finalize the results amid these localized disputes.