Despite the fact that  the polls were showing a very tight dispute, the final result on the 30th of April was evident : 42,7% for Santiago Peña and 27,4% for Efrain Alegre - making Peña the clear winner. Santiago Peña was the official candidate of the incumbent party, Colorado Party while Efrain Alegre was the representative  of the opposition union, called “Concertación Nacional”. This was Alegre’s third attempt to reach the Presidency of Paraguay . Santiago Peña, the new elected president will start his term by the 15th of August 2023 for a fixed period of five years.

The 2023 Political context in Paraguay

In reality, it was not a total surprise that the Colorado Party won the Presidential election, since it has been in power for almost 76 consecutive years, except for the “leftist parenthesis” that we saw between  2008 to 2012 during the presidency of  Fernando Lugo. 

Besides that, the 2023 general election was  not only a presidential election, voters also casted their votes for governors and members of the national parliament. In fact, the Colorado Party won the parliamentary majority, which facilitates Peña’s governance and exchanges  with the legislative power. 

Moreover, it is expected that the transition phase between the current presidency, Mario Abdo Benítez, and Peña’s administration will be amicable.

Who is Santiago Peña*?

What does Santiago Peña’s win represent for Paraguay?

Peña prevails in his campaign the importance of employment and economic development, as the first actions he will take when in office. In an interview to CNN en Español, Peña stated that he wants Paraguay to be “a protagonist in the process of regional integration”, not only in diplomatic terms, but also in collective economic growth. It seems that despite the clear leftist wave in Latin America, this will not demotivate Santiago Peña to outstretch regional cooperation, not towards a country in particular but for all South America.  

This regionalist approach is the most innovative measure for Paraguay, since politically many medias affirm a “continuismo” in Paraguay (DW, France 24). This term refers to a “continuum” political effect, in a scenario where Colorado won again – for almost seven decades – the presidential election. First, the elected party is still the most prevalent one for the last decades, making the results of the Presidential elections a predictable phenomenon. Second, Horacio Cartes, former president of Paraguay (2013-2018) and current president of the Colorado Party, will have an important role of influence in his mandate. Nevertheless, it is not clear yet what role he will have. Despite accusations of corruption by Washington DC, Peña and Cartes seem to have a close relationship. By the way, Horacio Cartes was side by side with Santiago Peña in his victory celebration. 

Furthermore, we are unlikely to see big changes in Paraguay. As Peña says, “Paraguay is conservative country”, and in its own Constitution (article 51) defines marriage as the “union between a man and a woman”. Therefore, in the current landscape, homosexual marriage is forbidden; and gay representation in the media is inexistent. Moreover, this conservative continuum will be extended to the next five years : it is clear that LGBTQ rights won’t prevail in Penã’s term. He affirms that family and the value of life are fundamental topics to be protected, and are moral values for Paraguayans, alienating the possibility of legalising abortion and homosexual marriage in the country. 

Thus, Peña’s electoral victory can be considered as a moral and political “continuismo”, despite his “anti-system” discourse. Yet, it is important to pay attention to Paraguay’s potential role in a new Latin American regionalism. Will Santiago Peña be able to unite, regardless of being right-wing, the majority of South American left-wing countries in a new regional integration?

*photo of Peña from his personal Twitter account

**Article photo from AFP / Luis ROBAYO