Villa Hayes, stronghold of the so-called Núñez group and departmental capital of Presidente Hayes, will have five candidates for mayor in the Colorado Party primaries. The dispute exposes the fragmentation of cartismo in the region, with Congress President Basilio “Bachi” Núñez supporting the reelection of current mayor Luis Alberto López González, while the Roussillón and Zárate groups launch councilwoman Karina Haidee Zárate Recalde.
López seeks reelection under list 2A. He is an ally of Núñez, who maintains his political and business base in Villa Hayes, with alleged use of front men. The relationship includes the hiring of López's relatives in Congress and the alleged involvement of both in scandals such as the VIP Invasion of Remansito and the construction of walls that block access to the river.
On the other side of cartismo, Governor Rubén Roussillón operates the candidacy of Karina Zárate (list 2K), who leaves her councilwoman position to run. The group brings together the Roussillón and Zárate groups, who control the departmental government.
The Colorado Añetete movement, led by former President Mario Abdo Benítez and with presidential pre-candidate Arnoldo Wiens, supports Martin Manuel Pineda Jara (list 6), a Remansito native who presents himself as a political newcomer and promotes his ideas on social media.
The fourth Colorado candidate is Ros Marie Soledad Martínez Dure, who runs under the Fuerza Republicana movement (list 4). On her social media, she receives declared support from Senator Luis Pettentill, former Vice President Hugo Velázquez, and Carla Bacigalupo.
Whoever wins the Colorado primaries will face physician Héctor Agüero, candidate of the PLRA who leads an opposition alliance. Agüero gained notoriety in 2016, when he was removed from the XV health region after denouncing administrative irregularities and pointing to the Núñez group as responsible for political reprisals.