Horacio Cartes is New President of Paraguay

After a peaceful and successful poll Paraguay now has a new President. Horacio Cartes and his followers are now celebrating the win that marks the return of the Colorado Party to power. Cartes celebrated the win with a party on the streets of Asuncion and declared that Paraguay is the winner. He also called on those who did not vote for him and said that it was now time for them to work together.

Of the total number of 3.5 million registered voters, less than 70% participated in the polls. The ruling party has already acknowledged the win and conceded defeat. Cartes garnered 45.91% of votes. Efrain Alegre of the Liberal Party came second with 36.84% of the votes. Five percent of the votes belonged to Mario Ferreiro, a TV journalist. Three percent of the votes went to Anibal Carrillo Iramain, a physician with left-wing leanings.

The new seat of power

Horacio Cartes is a businessman and football executive who ran under the Colorado Party. Cartes is the President of the Libertad Football Club and is a member of the board of the Paraguayan Football Association. His football club won the national championship in 2012.

Cartes owns 20 companies with a very diverse holding from fizzy beverages, meat products, tobacco, and even aviation. During his campaign, Cartes made a number of promises to his countrymen. He said that he would make the necessary reforms in health, education and security. He also promised to make the government more transparent with the use of technological innovations.

New to politics

Cartes entered politics only in 2009 and confessed that before he joined the Party he had never exercised his right to vote. Now that he is President of Paraguay Cartes will soon have to deal with urgent problems such as poverty. There are also other political issues that would require his attention. Paraguay was isolated from the rest of the Americas when President Lugo was impeached. He is scheduled to start with his duties as President on August 15, 2013 for a term that will end in five years.

Successful polls

Paraguay is a poor country and has long suffered from the consequences of graft and corruption. According to the United Nations, more than 50% of the population lives in poverty. The election was held last Sunday and it was intended to end the isolation that Paraguay experienced after the impeachment of former President Lugo a year ago. Paraguayans went to polling precincts to elect a president, a vice-president, senators (45), deputies (80), and governors (17). The voting public also elected 18 delegates to the Mecosur Parliament that is headquartered in Uruguay.

The Paraguayan election was monitored by a number of international groups from Europe in addition to the Organization of American States. Observers said that the proceedings were conducted in a very calm and organized manner. The turnout was relatively high but Paraguay citizens who are residing outside the country were unable to register due to poor funding. There were also reports of election fraud and some were unconfirmed. Some ballots were pre-marked but otherwise the polls proceeded smoothly and normally.