Gustavo Ovelar, pre-candidate for mayor of Ciudad del Este for the Colorado Añetete movement, publicly denounced the alleged diversion of Itaipú Binacional resources to finance attacks against government critics and sustain political structures distant from the population. The accusations were made during a rally held Friday night, ahead of the municipal internal elections scheduled for June 7.
At the event, Ovelar harshly criticized the ruling faction and the administration of President Santiago Peña. The pre-candidate claimed that funds from the binational entity are being used to maintain digital "trolls" and attack opponents of the system, instead of meeting the real needs of citizens.
Beyond the issue of Itaipú funds, the candidate from the east condemned the recent million-dollar contract for the purchase of Chinese school desks. Ovelar argued that the award ignored national production and Paraguayan industries. "While thousands of families demand medicines, decent hospitals, and better medical care, millions are spent bringing in foreign furniture, instead of investing in public health and generating jobs for Paraguayans," he stated.
The event was attended by Arnoldo Wiens, pre-candidate for the Presidency of the Republic in 2028 and former Minister of Public Works, who reaffirmed his political support for Ovelar. Wiens declared that "change within the Colorado Party has already begun from the grassroots" and stressed that the population is "tired of the abuse of power and the discretionary handling of public resources."