The Colorado Party has governed Paraguay almost uninterrupted since 1947 and the landlocked nation has been practically immune to the political change and social movements that have swept the region.
Paraguay doesn’t have a runoff, so whoever of the 13 candidates receives the most votes will be the next president. Voters are also casting ballots for Congress members. “There is a rather strange sense of uncertainty for this stage of the party, because in other elections the Colorados were already assured of victory, which is not the case this time,” said political consultant Sebastián Acha, leader of PRO Desarrollo Paraguay, a group that promotes public policies.
Peña has defended the country’s relationship with Taiwan, but says he would seek more trade with China, without explaining how that would come about.