MUNICIPAL ELECTION SPECIAL
A victory to build on — and a city to rebuild
Soledad “Sole” Núñez was elected mayor of Paraguay’s capital on Sunday: an unexpected, if narrow, victory that confounded the pollsters and left Paraguay’s ruling Colorado Party squabbling and blaming each other for the defeat.
Núñez celebrated her victory from the balcony of Bar Nacional, overlooking supporters gathered opposite the Pantheon of Heroes in downtown Asunción.
City Hall “will no longer be in the hands of a gang of criminals,” she told the crowd, promising to safeguard public money and punish those that misspend it.
“Today, the people won—the dream of living in a city that works,” she declared in an earlier speech, promising to govern for those who had voted against her as well as her supporters.
A few blocks away, a planned victory celebration in the Colorado Party HQ was being hastily dismantled.
Colorado candidate Camilo Pérez — who had earlier given what seemed like a premature victory speech — snapped angrily at reporters and rushed to get in his car and drive away.
President Santiago Peña meanwhile emphasised the closeness of the contest rather than acknowledging a decisive opposition victory in the capital.
With 99.92% of polling stations processed, Núñez had 133,325 votes to Camilo Pérez’s 128,301—a margin of 5,024, or 47.78% against 45.98%.
Pérez initially declined to concede, but on Monday recognized her victory, blaming “betrayal” by some Colorado council candidates for his loss.
Drilling into the data behind the ballots — both in Asunción and across the country — holds clues as to how the political scene will unfold in the run-up to pivotal presidential elections in 2028.