The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, congratulated, on Tuesday 2 May, Santiago Peña on his election as President of Paraguay on 30 April. Mr Peña, a conservative candidate and economist, won 42.7% of the vote, against 27.4% for his main opponent, Efrain Alegre.
“To strengthen our partnership further, the EU looks forward to working with the President-elect Peña, and other newly elected bodies, as soon as the electoral process is finalised”, Mr Borrell stressed, recalling that Paraguay is a key partner for the EU and its Member States in the region and at the multilateral level.
In the general and departmental elections, “Paraguayan citizens demonstrated again their commitment to democracy and to their institutions by exercising their democratic rights”, the High Representative said in a statement. The turnout was just over 63%.
According to the preliminary findings of the election observation mission led by MEP Gabriel Mato (EPP, Spanish), “despite a polarised campaign environment, fundamental freedoms were generally respected and voters were able to cast their ballots in an orderly fashion”, the High Representative said. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)