The internal elections of the Colorado Party that will be held this Sunday in Asunción transcend the definition of a municipal candidacy.
For him officialdom and the dissent Colorado, the bid in Asunción represents a measurement of forces that could anticipate the political scenario with a view to the 2028 general elections.
A total of 266,290 Colorado affiliates They are authorized to vote in Asunción, which makes the capital the district with the largest number of voters of the National Republican Association (ANR) in the entire country.
Read more: Internal elections: these are the three ways to verify your vote
This figure represents approximately 9.49% of the more than 2.8 million members that make up the party list.
Tomorrow it will be decided who will be the official candidate for List 1 for the municipal elections scheduled for October 4 of this year who will face the opposition.
However, the result will have a much broader reading: it will determine whether the Colorado electorate supports the continuity of the model driven by Honor Colorado or if you opt for a punishment vote that strengthens dissidence.
The great battle: Camilo Pérez versus Arnaldo Samaniego
The main dispute is concentrated between Camilo Perez (List 2), supported by the Honor Colorado movement, and Arnaldo Samaniego (List 7), candidate of the alliance made up of Fuerza Republicana, Causa Republicana and the Colorado Añetete sector.
He also appears as a pre-candidate Danilo Gomez (List 300), of the University Student Movement, whose candidacy is considered testimonial against the majority party structures.
For Chartism, Camilo Pérez represents a bet of renewal electoral. However, his main detractors maintain that behind his candidacy are the same leaders and political operators who accompanied the administrations of Óscar “Nenecho” Rodríguez (prosecuted) and Luis Bello, both strongly questioned by the municipal financial crisis and unfinished works in the capital.
Pérez continues to be president of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee (COP), an institution from which he also received questions related to alleged non-transparent management of public resources destined for sport.
He is accused of allocating approximately US$10 million (about G. 30,028 million) of state funds – originally planned for direct support to athletes with a view to the Junior Pan American Games– towards consultancies, travel expenses, high administrative salaries and trips abroad.
Read more: Pan American Games 2025: Camilo used US$ 10 million from the State in salaries and travel
On the opposite side of the road there is Arnaldo Samaniegowho already held the Municipality of Asunción between 2010 and 2015. His administration was questioned due to problems linked to the state of the streets, waste management and deficiencies in urban infrastructure.
However, his allies emphasize that he left an orderly financial situation and that he does not face convictions for corruption.
Chartism tests its machinery
The election in Asunción will also serve to measure weight of the political structure of Honor Colorado.
Directly behind Camilo Pérez’s candidacy is the leadership of former President Horacio Cartes, who promoted his nomination. The campaign is headed by the president of the Chamber of Deputies and Camilo’s campaign manager, Raul Latorreconsidered one of the main candidates to integrate a future presidential badge together with Vice President Pedro Alliana for the 2028 elections.
In this context, a victory for Pérez would strengthen not only Chartism, but also the Latorre’s aspirations within the official internal.
The official campaign was also marked by complaints of the use of state structures to favor the official candidacy. From the dissidence they denounced pressure on public officials and alleged electoral mobilization mechanisms from different State institutions.
Among the most visible cases is the call from the Minister of Health, Maria Teresa Baranto publicly support Camilo Pérez. Complaints also arose related to officials from other state agencies, including the Ministries of Labor, headed by Mónica Recalde, and Education, chaired by Luis Ramírez.
Dissidence asks for punishment vote
On the opposition side within the ANR, Arnaldo Samaniego, who was already municipal mayor in the period 2010-2015, managed to bring together sectors historically opposed to Chartism.
Your candidacy has the back of the senator and presidential candidate Lilian Samaniego (sister of the candidate), of the former vice president and senator Juan Afaraof the Republican Cause Movement.
Likewise, he has the support of the former vice president Hugo Velazquezfrom the senator and presidential candidate Luis Pettengillfrom the Republican Force movement, as well as the support of the former president Mario Abdo Benitez and of the presidential Arnold Wiensby Colorado Añetete.
During the municipal management of Samaniego The main questions and criticisms from citizens and opponents focused on the following areas, state of the streets, accumulation of garbage and deficiencies in road works.
The dissident narrative aims to install the election as an opportunity for members express a punishment vote against the current leadership of the Municipality of Asunción and against the political predominance of Honor Colorado.
Senator Lilian Samaniego herself called on members to vote freely in the dark room and maintained that, more than a competition between candidates, the election faces two models of party leadership.
Asunción, mirror of what can happen in 2028
The electoral history shows the importance of party mobilization. According to the data of the TREP of the colored internal of 2021, the stake in Asunción it barely reached 40.34%.
The unknown For this Sunday it will be if the ruling party manages to mobilize its powerful structure again or if the dissidents manage to channel discontent existing due to the financial and administrative situation of the capital.
Read more: Municipal internal: Wiens says that on Sunday “every vote matters”
The result of the internal elections in the ANR will serve to measure the temperature ahead of the 2028 general elections.
Assumption will become this Sunday the main political thermometer of the Colorado Party and on the stage where members will decide whether to reward the continuity of the ruling party or send a signal of change towards 2028.
