Opposition candidate Soledad Nunes won the mayoral election in Paraguay's capital Asuncion. With 99.92% of ballots counted, she received 47.78% of the vote against 45.98% for Camilo Perez of the ruling Colorado party, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Perez told the media that she would wait for the official verification of the results. Thus, the difference between the two main candidates remains 1.80 percentage points with the count almost complete.
The vote is a test before the 2028 elections.
The elections in Asuncion are seen as a preliminary test for the right-wing government before the general elections in 2028. The "Colorado" party has held the mayoral post in the capital since 2019, but this time its candidate failed to maintain the lead of the ruling party.
Núñez, who was a vice presidential candidate in 2023, takes over the governance of the capital in a complex financial and infrastructural environment. Among the problems mentioned are multi-million dollar debts, overdue interest payments, delayed infrastructure projects and other difficulties in public infrastructure.
Opposition victory also in Ciudad del Este
The opposition also won in the second largest city in Paraguay - Ciudad del Este. The candidate of the “Yo Creo“ movement; Dani Mujica received 72.83% of the vote and defeated the candidate of “Colorado“ by a large margin.
The result increases attention to “Yo Creo“ ahead of the presidential race in 2028. The movement's leader Miguel Preto is expected to run for president, Reuters notes.
Sources: BTA, Reuters