Senator Javier Zacarías Irún responded with irony to statements by businessman José Ortiz, who said the lawmaker's presence would harm the campaign of Ciudad del Este mayoral candidate Rigoberto Chamorro of the Colorado Party. In an interview with Radio Monumental, Zacarías countered Ortiz's assessment of his electoral rejection, asking: "Where is the phenomenal or enormous rejection that a sector of the Colorado Party might have? It doesn't exist."
The public clash occurs in the context of the municipal elections on October 4. José Ortiz, president of Tabacalera del Este (Tabesa) and a close associate of former president Horacio Cartes, openly supports Chamorro's candidacy. In interviews, Ortiz was emphatic in stating that no member of the so-called "Zacarías clan" – which includes the senator, his wife, former mayor Sandra McLeod, and his brother, Itaipú director Justo Zacarías – will be part of the campaign or a potential municipal administration. He justified the exclusion by alleging a high rejection rate of the family among voters, which he said reached "almost 80%" according to campaign studies.
Zacarías Irún, for his part, downplayed Chamorro's victory in the June 7 primary, calling it "accidental" due to the narrow margin of just over 100 votes against Magno Álvarez, the candidate supported by his group. The senator also directed personal criticism at Ortiz, stating: "José Ortiz as a politician is an excellent blacksmith, with respect to the blacksmith profession." He emphasized that his political trajectory is legitimized by the ballot box and not by the support of party leaders or businessmen.
Although he said he respects the decision of Chamorro's campaign command, the senator warned that excluding internal sectors of the Colorado Party could have negative consequences. He defended party unity and the "republican embrace" as fundamental symbols for a smart campaign. Zacarías confirmed he will vote for the Colorado candidate but made clear he has no interest in running the municipality, saying that stage is already "erased from our lives."
Ortiz reiterated that the strategy of distancing the Zacarías family is not a personal decision, but rather a response to public demands and a conclusion drawn from the primary results. He also stressed that, while Colorado Party president Horacio Cartes receives everyone, it was the political team that won the internal primary that defined this directive.