Paraguay's Superior Court of Electoral Justice (TSJE) convened general and departmental elections on Monday for April 30, 2023, when it will vote for president, legislators, governors and other authorities.
In addition, it ratified December 18 as the date for the simultaneous primaries of all parties.
During a ceremony, in which Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez participated, the head of the TSJE, Jaime Bestard, stressed that “from now on the rules of the game are clearly established.”
“An electoral schedule has been established that must be strictly and rigorously respected,” the official added.
He argued that absolute respect for the rules established by this calendar “is one of the keys to the success of any electoral process.”
“We know cases in some countries where there have been delays in schedules or there have been political pressures that forced certain circumstances to change and those processes went directly to failure, which is why this is very important,” he said.
The TSJE announced the schedule after last Wednesday the deputies approved a bill to modify the original date of the primary, which coincides this year with the World Cup final.
The initiative, which generated controversy among some sectors, was not analyzed by the Senate. Paraguay's national team did not qualify Qatar.
In April next year, Paraguayans will elect in general votes, in addition to president and vice president, 45 principal senators and 30 alternates.
While in the departments they will vote for 80 deputies and their alternates, as well as 17 governors and 17 departmental boards, among others.
Nationals resident in Argentina, Brazil, the United States and Spain will also participate in these elections.
According to the electoral calendar, voter registration will be open until May 31.
For the 2018 elections, in which the current ruler, Mario Abdo Benítez, was elected, 4,260,816 Paraguayans over the age of 18 were called to vote.
(With information from EFE)
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