Paraguay's ruling party claims victory in 90% of municipalities in internal elections

Paraguay's ruling party, Honor Colorado, has asserted a dominant victory in the internal elections held Sunday, claiming to have won in roughly 90% of the country's 262 municipalities. This outcome positions the faction, aligned with President Santiago Peña and influential former president Horacio Cartes, to field candidates in the upcoming municipal elections scheduled for October 4.

Juan Carlos Baruja, Minister of Urbanism, Housing, and Habitat and political secretary for the Colorado Party's governing board, announced the preliminary results. He stated that this widespread success is unprecedented in the party's history. According to Baruja, Honor Colorado secured wins in approximately 240 districts, overcoming dissident factions within the party.

The simultaneous internal elections saw millions of party members vote to select candidates for mayoral positions and municipal councils across Paraguay's 17 departments. The Colorado Party, the largest in the nation with over 2.8 million registered members, reported a national participation rate of 50.05%, translating to 1,391,748 votes. These internal contests also included the main opposition party, the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA), and 52 other political organizations.

In the capital, Asunción, sports executive Camilo Pérez emerged victorious with 61.34% of the vote, securing the Colorado Party's nomination for mayor. He defeated former mayor and senator Arnaldo Samaniego, who conceded defeat. Pérez will face Soledad Núñez of the opposition in the October elections. Meanwhile, in Ciudad del Este, the country's second-largest city, former mayor Daniel Pereira Mujica won the internal election for the opposition movement Yo Creo, seeking re-election. Rigoberto Chamorro secured victory for Honor Colorado in Ciudad del Este's internal race with 37.86% of the vote.

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More than 90% of the districts today belong to the Honor Colorado movement, an unprecedented event in the political history of the Colorado Party.