President Santiago Peña and Vice President Pedro Alliana have asked Horacio Cartes to consider running again for the presidency of the National Republican Association (ANR) in the 2028 party elections, revealed the party's general agent, Eduardo González Báez. The request was made during the last meeting of the Honor Colorado Command, held on May 4 at Cartes' residence in Asunción.
“In the last command meeting, 15 days ago, it was again the president of the Republic himself who asked President Cartes to analyze the possibility of running for the next party term, and this was seconded by Alliana, who said that one of the main points for him is to have the party's support and direct follow-up from Cartes, if he is elected,” said González Báez in an interview with radio 970 AM.
González Báez, who is also legal advisor to the Yacyretá Binational Entity (EBY), denied tensions between Cartes and Peña, classifying the versions as a “media operation” and political maneuvering by adversaries to attack the unity of the ruling party. “Horacio Cartes is about to take another lap, but it will depend on him whether that happens. Some want to create friction, that there is some kind of impact on the relationship between the two, but they end up hitting themselves in the face, because it doesn't work,” he stated.
Cartes was elected president of the ANR in December 2022, after defeating then-president Mario Abdo Benítez in the party elections, and took office in January 2023, replacing Pedro Alliana. His current term extends until 2028. The former president (2013-2018) is recovering from heart surgery performed at the end of February and has gradually resumed his public agenda in recent weeks.
The agent described Cartes as “the politician who measures best, the undisputed leader of our movement and the party” and stated that the request for reelection is “managing realities.” “Honor Colorado is not an improvised team; we execute a plan that we are outlining,” he concluded.