Basilio ‘Bachi’ Núñez, president of Paraguay’s Senate and National Congress, pledged to resign the Congress presidency if the Colorado Party loses in five of the ten districts in the department of Presidente Hayes in the October 4 municipal elections. The statement, reported by Última Hora on October 1, sets a condition for his departure; Núñez did not announce an immediate resignation.
He made the pledge at a Senate press conference during the closing campaign event for César Ceres Escobar, who is seeking reelection to Asunción’s city council. According to Última Hora, Escobar said Núñez would advance a proposed law to fund the capital with Treasury resources. It is a proposal, not an already approved transfer.
Núñez also responded to rumors of an attempt to remove him from the Senate’s governing board, a subject covered in reports published that day by ABC Color, 1000 Noticias and Última Hora. He described the episode as a ‘conato,’ or attempted move, and said colleagues had told him about possible involvement by Guairá governor César ‘Cesarito’ Sosa, without saying he had personally verified it. The statements do not confirm a vote or a majority assembled to remove him.
He said that, if the majority no longer wants him to remain, he will return to being simply a senator. The statement concerns the leadership of the Senate and Congress, not the loss of his parliamentary seat.
Última Hora places the tension within internal disputes in Honor Colorado, the Colorado Party faction led by former president Horacio Cartes. The party is also known as the National Republican Association (ANR). According to the newspaper, Sosa seeks a vice-presidential candidacy, while senators and Cartes are promoting Juan Carlos Baruja. The report also links the rivalry to the makeup of Senate candidate lists for 2028.
ABC Color reports that Núñez urged leaders to step aside if they lose most districts in their departments. For the total number of Colorado-held municipalities, he cited a baseline of 170 and a target above 180. He also predicted a Camilo Pérez victory in Asunción and dismissed the possibility of Soledad Núñez winning: campaign positions, not election results.