The National Republican Association (ANR, or Partido Colorado) held the official launch of its campaign for the October 4th municipal elections this Saturday at the CONMEBOL Convention Center in Luque. The event brought together, for the first time, its 263 mayoral candidates and over 2,800 city council candidates from its List 1 slate from across the country, with approximately 3,300 party leaders in attendance.
The party's president, Horacio Cartes, alongside President Santiago Peña and Vice President Pedro Alliana, emphasized party unity, declaring that the internal disputes of June 7th were a thing of the past. Cartes stated that the party is financially healthy with no bank debts and guaranteed full support for all candidates.
Peña argued that concord should be a way of life and not just a slogan, while indirectly criticizing the opposition, claiming that rival candidates were chosen "behind closed doors" or through polls of dubious origin, unlike the Colorados, who went through democratic internal elections.
Notable absences marked the event: former president Mario Abdo Benítez and former vice president Hugo Velázquez sent formal justifications for not attending, while presidential pre-candidate Arnoldo Wiens, who had made public criticisms, also did not show up. Present Colorado leaders, such as the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Raúl Latorre, downplayed the absences, focusing on the unity demonstrated.
Senator Nicanor Duarte Frutos responded to Wiens's statements, questioning his "moral superiority" and highlighting that individuality is inferior to the collective of the party. Alliana also countered, stating that the ANR's path is one of concord, distinct from Wiens's discourse.
The party currently governs 163 municipalities, according to data from the Paraguayan Organization for Intermunicipal Cooperation (Opaci), and seeks to expand that majority in the October elections.