2023 Paraguayan general election

General elections were held in Paraguay on 30 April 2023 to elect the president, vice president, National Congress, and departmental governors. The incumbent president Mario Abdo Benítez and vice president Hugo Velázquez Moreno, both of the Colorado Party, were ineligible for re-election.

The Colorado candidate, former Finance Minister Santiago Peña, defeated both PLRA president Efraín Alegre from the Concertación alliance and former senator Paraguayo Cubas from the populist National Crusade Party. The election marked another victory for the long-dominant Colorado Party, which also won the majority of congressional and governor races. Both Peña and the vice president-elect Pedro Alliana took office on 15 August 2023.

Electoral system The president of Paraguay is elected in one round of voting by plurality.Paraguay: Election for President IFES The 80 members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected by closed list proportional representation in 18 multi-member constituencies, based on the departments.Chamber of Deputies: Electoral system IPU The 45 members of the Senate are elected from a single national constituency using closed list proportional representation.Senate: Electoral system IPU

Candidates

+Candidates in the 2023 Paraguayan general electionListTicketCandidatesPresidentVice President1 Colorado Party Santiago PeñaPedro Alliana3Concertación for a New ParaguayEfraín AlegreSoledad Núñez7National Union of Ethical CitizensJorge Humberto GómezNoelia Núñez10New Republic MovementJorge Querey14Humanist and Solidary MovementJuan Félix RomeroCatalina Ramírez15Unámonos National PartyLuis TalaveraCelso Álvarez21Party of the YouthJosé Luis ChilavertSofia Scheid23Green Party ParaguayÓscar CañeteLuis Wilfrido Arce30National Party of the People 30APrudencio BurgosLeona Guaraní33Citizen Patriotic Coordinator MovementAlfredo MachucaJustina Noguera45Herederos Democratic Socialist PartyRosa BogarínHerminio Lesme777Únete ParaguayAurelio Martínez CabralDavid Sánchez N.911National CrusadeParaguayo CubasStilber Valdez Source: TREP

Campaign The campaign issues included Paraguay's relationship with Taiwan, allegations of corruption, and the state of the economy. Santiago Peña was supportive of maintaining ties with Taiwan, whereas Efraín Alegre criticized the country's ties to Taiwan and argued for opening up relations with China.

Peña previously ran in the 2017 Colorado presidential primaries but had lost to Mario Abdo Benítez, who went on to win the 2018 presidential election against Alegre. Peña was an economist at Paraguay's central bank before joining the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. He was described to Reuters as "clean-cut", "decent", and having "good ideas". Peña is a protégé of former president Horacio Cartes, who has been sanctioned by the United States due to being "significantly corrupt". Peña pledged to pursue "business friendly" policies, including a focus on job creation, low taxation, and attracting foreign investment into the country. Peña stated he would preserve relations with Taiwan and would move the country's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move previously made by Cartes in 2018, but reversed by Abdo Benítez later that year.

Alegre previously ran for president in the 2013 and 2018 general elections. He campaigned by criticizing the Colorado Party and accusing them of corruption. Alegre pledged to reassess the country's relationship with Taiwan, with a preference towards establishing diplomatic ties with China, with the goal of Paraguay gaining access to China's market for cattle and soy. Alegre pledged to cut public sector red tape and proposed a "new energy policy" with a focus on the Itaipu Dam and Yacyretá Dams (shared with Brazil and Argentina respectively), stating that Paraguay should utilize the energy generated for national development, rather than sell the power.

Populist, anti-establishment candidate Paraguayo "Payo" Cubas is a former senator, who described himself as a "romantic, republican and nationalist anarchist". Cubas was expelled from the Senate on 28 November 2019 following an incident in Alto Paraná Department that included the assault of police officers, damage to public property and calling for the killing of "100,000 brasiguayos", Paraguayans of Brazilian descent, leading to his impeachment from the senate. He campaigned to introduce the death penalty in specific cases, such as femicide, child rape, drug trafficking, parricide, murder in cases of robbery, and stealing from the Treasury, which would require a modification to Paraguay's constitution. Cubas proposed involving the Armed Forces of Paraguay in the government, and expanding the powers of the president over those of the parliament, describing the latter as a "den of thugs". Cubas has been likened by Leandro Lima of Control Risks to other right-wing populist figures from the Americas, including Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro, and Javier Milei.

Opinion polls

+Opinion polling in the 2023 Paraguayan general election Polling Firm Publishment Date Santiago Peña Efraín Alegre Euclides Acevedo José Luis Chilavert Paraguayo Cubas Others Don't know NoneAtlasIntel25 April 202332.8%3.0%1.2%23.0%1.4%1.9%2.4% Datos10 April 202335.5%1.9%12.6%0.9%8.5%AtlasIntel5 April 202336.4%2.8%2.1%14.5%1.1%3.5%1.5%AtlasIntel15 March 202336.1%2.7%2.9%14.3%0.9%4.2%0.8%FaSaC Consultores10 March 202332.1%6.1%2.1%13.7%1.7%1.5%GEO27 February 202335.3%5.8%0.7%10.3%8.2%Datos24 February 202330.5%3.3%10.4%0.9%20.1%1.2%FaSaC Consultores20 February 202328.3%9.5%3.5%13.9%2%1.5%GEO20 February 202335.2%6.0%0.8%10.4%9%8.7%Ati Snead6 February 202324.9% 6.5%1.2%4.2%9%8%OIMA2 February 202319% 7%4%12%10%6%

Pre-election polling +Pre-election polling in the 2023 Paraguayan general electionPolling FirmFieldwork datePeñaVelázquezAlegreAcevedoGonzálezVillarejoCubasMartínezNúñezBurtChilavertFleitasDon't know/No responseNone ofthe aboveFaSaC Consultores20 September 202232.2%22.1%4.5% —11.8% —3.9%16.1%9.4%Ati Snead8–15 June 202223.2%14.0%14.3%9.9%9.7%4.3%2.9%2.0%2.0%1.9%1.1%1.0%9.0%4.8%GEO27 May – 10 June 202235.3%37.5% —13.4%13.8%28.2%37.1%18.5%16.3%

Results President The presidential election was won by Santiago Peña of the Colorado Party.

Senate The following table shows the distribution of seats in the Senate. The status of at least one seat remains in doubt, however, as Rafael "Mbururú" Esquivel, elected for the National Crusade Party, was arrested and charged with child sexual abuse just before the elections.

Elected senators NamePartyAllianceVotesAntonio Rubén Velázquez ChamorroNational Democratic ConsciousnessI Believe18,485Arnaldo Samaniego GonzálezColorado PartyColorado Party35,022Basilio Gustavo Núñez GiménezColorado PartyColorado Party31,631Blanca Margarita Ovelar de DuarteColorado PartyColorado Party17,864Carlos Alcibíades Giménez DíazColorado PartyColorado Party33,729Carlos Núñez AgüeroColorado PartyColorado Party54,498Celeste Josefina Amarilla de BocciaAuthentic Radical Liberal PartySenators for the Homeland Alliance42,207Derlis Ariel Alejandro Osorio NunesColorado PartyColorado Party57,361Derlis Hernán Maidana ZarzaColorado PartyColorado Party76,066Dionisio Oswaldo Amarilla GuirlandAuthentic Radical Liberal PartySenators for the Homeland Alliance24,880Édgar Idalino López RuizAuthentic Radical Liberal PartySenators for the Homeland Alliance63,077Eduardo Hirohito Nakayama RojasAuthentic Radical Liberal PartySenators for the Homeland Alliance28,499Enrique Riera EcuderoColorado PartyColorado Party23,598Enrique Salyn Concepción Buzarquis CáceresAuthentic Radical Liberal PartySenators for the Homeland Alliance125,096Erico Galeano SegoviaColorado PartyColorado Party27,977Ernesto Javier Zacarías IrúnColorado PartyColorado Party22,567 Esperanza Martínez de PortilloParty of Citizen ParticipationGuasú Ñemongeta Front11,735Éver Federico Villalba BenítezAuthentic Radical Liberal PartySenators for the Homeland Alliance37,734Gustavo Alfredo Leite GusinkyColorado PartyColorado Party15,978Hermelinda Alvarenga de OrtegaAuthentic Radical Liberal PartySenators for the Homeland Alliance26,296 Hernán David Rivas RománColorado PartyColorado Party25,178José Daniel Oviedo AntúnezNational Crusade PartyNational Crusade Party18,100José Gregorio Ledesma NarváezAuthentic Radical Liberal PartySenators for the Homeland Alliance25,241Juan Carlos Baruja FernándezColorado PartyColorado Party71,867Juan Eudes Afara MacielColorado PartyColorado Party21,302Kattya Mabel González VillanuevaNational Encounter PartyAlliance National Encounter100,155 Líder Santiago Amarilla RíosAuthentic Radical Liberal PartySenators for the Homeland Alliance24,383Lilian Graciela Samaniego GonzálezColorado PartyColorado Party54,750 Lourdes Noelia Cabrera PettersAuthentic Radical Liberal PartySenators for the Homeland Alliance22,312Luis Alberto Pettengill VaccaColorado PartyColorado Party61,168Mario Alberto Varela CardozoColorado PartyColorado Party47,925Natalicio Esteban Chase AcostaColorado PartyColorado Party30,165Norma Beatriz Aquino LuraghiNational Crusade PartyNational Crusade Party12,637Orlando Penner DurksenBeloved Fatherland PartyBeloved Fatherland Party14,185Óscar Rubén Salomón FernándezColorado PartyColorado Party56,504 Patrick Paul Kemper ThiedeHagamos Political PartyAlliance National Encounter7,315 Pedro Alejandro Díaz VerónColorado PartyColorado Party23,059Rafael Augusto Filizzola SerraProgressive Democratic PartySenators for the Homeland Alliance28,251Rafael EsquivelNational Crusade PartyNational Crusade Party51,443Ramona Yolanda ParedesNational Crusade PartyNational Crusade Party141,102Regina Lizarella Valiente CabreraColorado PartyColorado Party56,047Sergio Roberto Rojas SosaAuthentic Radical Liberal PartySenators for the Homeland Alliance71,072Silvio Adalberto Ovelar BenítezColorado PartyColorado Party282,237Zenaida Concepción Delgado BenítezNational Crusade PartyNational Crusade Party12,859Source: TSJE

Chamber of Deputies The following table shows the distribution of seats in the Chamber of Deputies.

Elected deputies