Republican embrace highlights 'anesthesia' and 'chonguismo' spirit without shootout in ANR

Leading figures within Paraguay's Colorado Party have embraced a political truce ahead of the October municipal elections, effectively silencing internal dissent. Former President Mario Abdo Benítez and ex-Vice President Hugo Velázquez, along with their respective presidential candidates for 2028, Arnoldo Wiens and Luis Pettengill, have joined forces with the ruling "cartismo" faction.

This "republican embrace" has led to a noticeable cooling of rhetoric between the formerly opposing groups. Deputy Roberto González, a supporter of Abdo Benítez, had previously stated that the alliance would not involve a "pact of impunity or chonguismo," nor would it silence criticism of the government. However, observers note the opposite is occurring.

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the truth is that there is a spirit of "concordia" and not attacking each other, even on the part of the presidential candidate of Añeteté, Arnoldo Wiens.

Arnoldo Wiens, for instance, recently toured historical sites of the Chaco War, focusing on his past work with a commission dedicated to preserving these sites. This tour coincided with a week of judicial decisions seen as favorable to the cartismo faction. These include the apparent shelving of a criminal complaint regarding alleged overpricing in Itaipú's purchase of "Chinese desks" and a lenient penalty sought for a former head of the anti-money laundering agency during Horacio Cartes' government.

The political alignment comes despite ongoing tensions, such as the Fiscalía (Prosecutor's Office) shifting blame for the canceled "Metrobús" project onto Wiens, who succeeded Ramón Jiménez Gaona, the former Public Works Minister under Cartes. The lack of criticism from other dissident leaders like Pettengill and Senator Lilian Samaniego further solidifies the perception of a coordinated political strategy aimed at consolidating power.

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the republican embrace with the cartistas would not imply a "pact of impunity or chonguismo," and that they would not silence criticism of the government.