Candidates for mayor of Asunción declared the amounts they intend to spend on their campaigns for the October 4 municipal elections, with significant disparities among the main contenders. The information, publicly accessible through the National Observatory of Political Financing (ONAFIP) of the Superior Court of Electoral Justice (TSJE), shows that Colorado Party candidate Camilo Pérez leads with a declaration of G 700 million from his personal funds. Next is Arlene Aquino of the Dream Homeland Party, who declared G 600 million and the use of a pickup truck for transportation.
Soledad Núñez, candidate for the opposition alliance "United for Asunción," reported a considerably lower amount: G 100 million for campaigning, without declaring transportation expenses. Rodrigo "Bukele'i" Franco of the Christian Democratic Party declared the smallest amount, just G 50 million for his campaign. The disclosure of this data is required by political financing law, which seeks to provide transparency regarding the origin and use of electoral resources.
Meanwhile, the 24 city council candidates from the Colorado Party (ANR) collectively declared they will spend G 2.436 million on their campaigns. Of this total, ten candidates individually declared the maximum amount of G 150 million each, including names such as Miguel Sosa, José Plate, and Sebastián Radice. Others, such as Gerardo "Gringo" Benítez and Óscar "Piriki" Rodríguez, declared G 100 million each. At the other extreme, former councilman Hugo Ramírez of the Colorado Añetete faction reported he will use only G 2 million.
Christian Ruiz Díaz, director of Political Financing at the TSJE, emphasized that the sworn statements are available online in a simple format, allowing any citizen to consult and even print them. The law governing this matter, however, faces criticism. Experts point out that the lack of detail in the declarations makes it practically impossible to trace the actual source of the money, which does not prevent, in practice, the potential infiltration of organized crime funds into politics, as admitted by the Electoral Court itself.
This disconnect between declared amounts and campaign reality is visible in Asunción, where intense propaganda on radio, television, social media, and public spaces contrasts with the reported figures. The legislation allows parties to continue receiving donations and contributions until election day, with subsequent declaration of these resources mandatory to attempt to ensure traceability.