The voting closed in Paraguay and the counting of the votes begins to know who will be the next president.
With a turnout described by the electoral authorities as "high"
, the day passed for the most part peacefully, except for a few incidents and delays related to voting on the electronic machines.
The
first results are available around 18 (19 from l
to Argentina).
Due to the parity between Santiago Peña and Efraín Alegre, a close scenario is expected that will be defined
From the early hours of Sunday, the climate of expectation for the election could be experienced in the streets of Asunción.
In many queues, queues were observed from before seven in the morning, the time the elections began.
Men and women equipped with thermos and mate waiting in silence for the doors to open to participate in an election that was raised
as a dilemma between two clear options
: the continuity of the Colorado Party, or the preference for an alternation.
Although the day was marked by a calm climate, there were some incidents and delays related to the use of electronic machines.
In some towns there were discussions about its location, and
there were also complaints about the delays
caused in many cases by the difficulties that some had when operating the machine.
Paraguayan presidential candidate Efraín Alegre and his vice-presidential candidate, Soledad Núñez, pose today at a polling station in Lambaré.
Photo: EFE
Faced with this scenario, Alegre asked the people
"not to give up"
and to remain in the voting centers until they cast their votes.
"Participation is going to reach an important level, and we know that the Paraguayan does not give up. You have to be in the ranks and hold on to make history in Paraguay," he closed.
Candidate confidence
The two candidates leading the polls voted early and were confident in their chances of winning.
"My greatest desire is to be able to win the majority of the Paraguayan vote," said Peña, who was confident that he could win "
with more than 50% of the votes
."
At the beginning of the day, Peña was shown on a stage set up at the ANR headquarters
together with Horacio Cartes,
the president of the party who was absent from the campaign due to accusations of corruption and the explicit condemnation of the United States.
The candidate of the National Concertation, Efraín Alegre, for his part, was confident of the victory and asked the people to go vote "to achieve a great result in the afternoon."
"We know that we are going to beat a party that has abundant money that comes from organized crime," he said, while he was confident that participation will touch 70% of the electorate, a key figure for the opposition to achieve the triumph.
Presidential candidate Santiago Peña, from the Colorado Party, delivers a speech in Asunción today.
Photo: EFE
In the elections, the renewal of both Chambers, as well as governors, were also voted.
In addition to president and vice president, Paraguayans must vote for
45 senators, 80 deputies and 17 governors
.
The determination of Parliament will also be a subject to follow to analyze the direction of the next government.
Problems with electronic machines
Despite reports of some incidents and “skirmishes”, as defined by the Superior Court of Electoral Justice (TSJE), the
day took place calmly
.
Consulted by Clarín, an international observer from the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights (IIDH), one of the organizations stationed in Paraguay to monitor the elections, confirmed that everything was "calm."
One of the involuntary protagonists of the era were electronic machines.
On social networks and the media there were reports of conflicts in some schools over the location of the machines.
The most serious incident occurred in the town of Sapucai, where supporters of the Colorado Party
wanted to place the machines inside a classroom
, despite the fact that the TSJE indicated that they should be placed in the corridors.
The situation led to a fight with members of the Concertación, and at least one member of the Colorado Party
lost part of his ear
.
Members of the police had to intervene to settle the situation.
In the semi-darkness of the covered patio of the Colegio Presidente Franco, the voting queues advanced slowly and in silence.
A machine and a technical staff person had been placed on one of the sides to indicate how it works to those who require it.
"There are many people who asked me to explain
, especially the elderly," explained Ana, the woman in charge of explaining, in dialogue with Clarín.
The guide requirements, added to the problems generated by the operation itself, have produced delays that in some cases led to incidents and protests due to the long waits.
Although the TSJE had initially indicated that in specific cases people who needed help could go with a relative, in practice, the situation generated some friction.
At the Presidente Franco College, a discussion broke out between a woman who asked to come in with her son and who was met with the refusal of a party delegate.
The disagreement rose in tension, until it was determined that the woman could pass.
On the walls of the Dante Alighieri Institute there were printed signs that read
“Forbidden to enter the dark room accompanied
”.
Next to the text was an image of two silhouettes behind an electronic machine with a red line running diagonally across them.
At one point, one of the voting queues that stretched along the coup yard was stopped.
Behind the table it was seen how TSJE officials removed a machine and brought a replacement one.
One of the officials stood in front of the line and held up a ticket.
“Please, the ballot must be inserted whole and without folding it.
A machine just got stuck because they entered the ballot wrong
.
You have to wait for the new one to restart, I ask you for a little patience because they will now be able to vote, ”she explained, to the murmur of the attendees.
Even amid the wailing and complaining, the anxiety and anticipation among voters was palpable.
Questions about when the first results would be and amazed comments about the queues.
Mario, a man who was waiting for his wife to finish voting, agreed that he had never experienced a similar scenario.
"At this point, in past elections,
you always knew who was going to win.
Now, it's a mystery," he said.
Asunción, special envoy
look too
Clarín in Paraguay: the country is preparing to elect a president between apathy and boredom due to allegations of corruption
Paraguay elects president between the official Santiago Peña and the liberal opposition Efraín Alegre