Councilwoman Carolina González, the wife of former congressman Orlando Arévalo, never even managed to take over the mayor's office in Lambaré, not even on an interim basis. After suffering a resounding defeat in the Colorado primaries on June 7, she still tried to claim the position for a four-month term, but the local ruling bloc, backed by Liberal Cartista councilmembers, buried the Arévalo clan's ambitions.
Mayor Guido González (ANR-HC) resigned yesterday to focus entirely on his reelection campaign. Before stepping down, he arranged for councilman Arturo Toñanez (ANR-HC), who is also running for mayor, to request a leave of absence. The maneuver was aimed solely at allowing substitute councilwoman Magalí Franco to take over as councilwoman for a few hours so that she could then be elected by her peers as interim mayor.
With nine votes in favor, the councilmembers chose Magalí Franco, described as loyal to the former mayor, to run Lambaré for four months. Liberal Cartista councilmembers Lorenzo Mendieta, Diego Rotela, and Daniel Molinas supported the choice, sealing a major political reshuffling in the municipality.
Councilwoman Carolina González, who had already left the Municipal Council without a quorum on several occasions — paralyzing projects and the normal functioning of the body — managed to secure only three votes in support of her candidacy, including her own. The Arévalo clan was left even weaker: she will be out of the Municipal Council in the next term, and Orlando Arévalo no longer holds any political office.
The group's decline was also evident in the internal elections: allied councilmembers Osmayra Pereyra and Jimmy Paniagua failed to secure spots among the 12 Colorado candidates for councilman who will compete for a seat on October 4. Carolina's loyalists also failed to win over voters in the recent primaries, leaving the Arévalo clan with an increasingly uncertain political future.