Senator Derlis Maidana (Colorado Party) defended the credibility of Paraguay's electoral system and called on the political class to act responsibly, supporting the Superior Electoral Justice Court (TSJE) amid questions about the use of voting machines in party primaries.
The statements come after Senator Lilian Samaniego (PLRA) released a video expressing distrust in the system and demanding audits, a position also adopted by sectors of the opposition.
“The political class needs to be responsible and support the institutions. The TSJE, which oversees party primaries, is an institution with considerable credibility,” said Maidana, recalling that previous allegations of supposed electoral fraud proved “absolutely unfounded.”
The senator highlighted that the greatest audit is the coincidence between the number of ballots in envelopes and the result printed by the electronic voting machines. “Any process that brings transparency is magnificent, but we must give the Electoral Justice and the parties the right to decide calmly,” he added.
Asked about the lack of audits scheduled for February, Maidana acknowledged that the TSJE faced problems with the purchase and rental of the machines, but considered that there is still time to complete the technical controls. “Let it be done without any problem,” he said, rejecting casting doubts on the process.
Maidana rejected that the current situation represents a weakness of the Paraguayan electoral system and cited historical episodes of fraud in party primaries before the implementation of current mechanisms, such as the Colorado primaries of 1992, which, according to him, would have been marked by “scandalous fraud” against Luis María Argaña, and the PLRA primaries, where, according to Maidana, employees linked to Efraín Alegre would have voted five times. “Thank God, the parties have overcome this. In the Colorado Party this no longer happens,” he declared.
The senator reiterated his support for carrying out all necessary audits, but emphasized that the debate should not become an attack on the electoral system.