Former Paraguayan presidential candidate Efraín Alegre was dismissed from his position as the leader of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA) on Sunday during a convention that also elected a new executive board.
The convention, which was marked by conflict and lasted longer than anticipated, took place in a gymnasium in Asunción.
There were physical altercations among party members as they entered the venue, as seen in videos shared by the media and on social media.
Alegre opposed a request by a group of party members seeking his dismissal.
Following a heated argument, he ended the session and left the venue.
Despite several members affiliated with Alegre leaving the convention, the session continued with 325 participants, 319 of whom voted in favor of Alegre’s removal.
The PLRA’s first vice-president, Hugo Fleitas, will now take over as party leader.
Alegre later posted on Twitter criticizing the convention and claiming an attack on the party’s institutionality.
He emphasized the importance of respecting the popular vote, party rules, and the National Constitution over dishonest money.
Independent former presidential candidate Paraguayan Cubas, currently under house arrest on charges of public disturbance and other alleged crimes, expressed solidarity with Alegre on social media.
Cubas attributed Alegre’s dismissal to a PLRA group allegedly affiliated with the ruling Colorado Party, led by former President Horacio Cartes (2013-2018).
Alegre, a lawyer running for president for the third time, obtained only 27.52% of the votes against the 42.93% of the official candidate Santiago Peña from the Colorado Party- National Republican Association (ANR), according to the Superior Court of Electoral Justice (TSJE).