Paraguayan presidential elections: vice president to run for office

After some local criticism, current Paraguayan Vice President Hugo Velázquez announced his resignation on Thursday, August 4, and said he would devote himself “entirely to his campaign for the presidency” of the landlocked South American country.

“Before the end of this month, I will resign from office, and much more quickly than the law requires,” he declared, although he has been campaigning for several months amid the tasks for which he was elected. He also pointed out that his wife would likely leave the prosecutor’s office after requesting a temporary leave of absence.

“She is accompanying my campaign, but she is not wearing the red scarf because she respects her office as a prosecutor, and I think we are finalizing that,” he added, announcing that his wife will resign from her office to be by his side in the campaign.

General and departmental elections have been called by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSJE) for April 30, 2023, to elect the president, vice president, legislators, and governors. In addition, December 18, 2022, was ratified as the date for simultaneous primaries for all parties.

Paraguayan nationals residing in Argentina, Brazil, the United States, and Spain will also participate in these elections. For the 2018 elections, which elected current President Mario Abdo Benítez, 4,260,816 Paraguayans aged eighteen were called to vote.

With information from Latina Press