Paraguay Municipal Elections: 18 Detained in a Vote Open to 5 Million People
POLITICS · PARAGUAY
Key Facts
- —The country Paraguay, a landlocked South American nation, elected mayors and councils in 263 districts on Sunday 4 October 2026. The electoral court registered 5,043,154 voters (5Días, La Nación).
- —What happened Polls closed at 17:00 local time. By about then, prosecutors reported 18 people detained over suspected electoral offences, up from four in their morning report (RDN, Prensa Mercosur, ABC Color, 4 Oct).
- —The numbers 5Días reported a record US$154.9 million budget for staging the vote (4 Oct). Municipalities received G. 865.3 billion (about US$148.2 million) in transfers through mid-September.
- —What it means for you The vote tests President Santiago Peña’s Colorado Party before the 2028 general election. Prosecutors said every polling table opened, despite storms and scattered incidents.
- —Still open Official results were not final at the time of writing. Prosecutors have not said how many of the 18 detentions will lead to charges.
Paraguay municipal elections closed at 17:00 local time on Sunday 4 October 2026, after a day of voting in 263 districts. By then prosecutors had detained 18 people over suspected offences, from vote buying to identity fraud.
The Superior Electoral Justice Tribunal (TSJE), Paraguay’s electoral court, had 5,043,154 voters on its register. Counting began after the close.
Prosecutors Report 18 Detentions
In a first report, prosecutors Sandra Ledesma and Karina Cerón confirmed four detentions, ABC Color reported. Cases included an alleged voter bribe in Guairá and a forged proxy accreditation in Humaitá.
They said every polling table was installed and working, after delays in places such as Belén. At a later briefing, Ledesma put the total at 18 and said it could rise, La Nación, RDN and Prensa Mercosur reported.
Offences cited included attempted multiple voting, identity usurpation and bribery. In Loma Pytã, a voter allegedly carried nine pre-signed ballots.
In Limpio, two people were detained over an alleged vote purchase inside a bathroom, Prensa Mercosur reported. In Ciudad del Este, a 26-year-old was held at 07:05 with a table president’s credential issued to someone else (Última Hora).
The vote followed the security operation in Paraguay Police on Alert for Municipal Elections. Booth companions are covered in Paraguay Electoral Body Disclaims Assisted Voting Violations.
Nails on Roads and Claims of Vote Buying
In Ypejhú, in Canindeyú department, “miguelito” nails, spiked devices that puncture tyres, appeared on roads used by voters, Última Hora reported. Storms cut power in seven local municipalities, though polling tables kept working.
Police seized similar devices in Nueva Alborada, Itapúa, ABC Color reported. There, two vote-buying complaints against Colorado candidates were filed in Tomás Romero Pereira.
A prosecutor who checked one candidate’s home found no evidence of the alleged offence, ABC added. In Asunción, Senator Celeste Amarilla and a resident reported free beer offered near two schools used as polling sites.
People there received leaflets for Colorado mayoral candidate Camilo Pérez with voting instructions, Última Hora reported, citing Telefuturo. Opposition figure Kattya González accused the Colorados of pressuring voters near polling sites (ABC Color).
Cartes and Peña at the Ballot Box
Former president Horacio Cartes, who heads the ruling Colorado Party (ANR), voted at Colegio Goethe in Asunción. “This is the people’s moment,” he told reporters, according to La Nación.
Última Hora quoted him urging even non-Colorados to back the party. ABC Color reported that he folded his ballot outward, leaving his choice visible, and table members stopped Senator Antonio Barrios, part of his entourage, from helping.
President Santiago Peña also voted and urged turnout. Asked about vote buying, he said belittling voters who take money “is a lack of respect” to fellow citizens.
Peña called the electoral system “a luxury” by Latin American standards, citing observers of the 2023 vote. He pledged to support all 263 mayors once they take office (La Nación, ABC Color).
A Vote Staged on a Record Budget
The business daily 5Días reported that a record sum financed the vote, with a budget of US$154.9 million. It linked the rise to more contracted services, logistics and subsidies to political groups.
More than G. 635.2 billion (about US$108.8 million) went to salaries, health subsidies and other staff benefits, the paper said. Guaraní figures are converted at 5,838 per US dollar, the 2 October close.
Town halls also handle real money: municipalities received G. 865.3 billion (about US$148.2 million) in transfers through mid-September.
La Nación counted 630 mayoral candidates and 18,973 council candidates for the 2026–2031 term. The main races were set out in Paraguay Votes Sunday for 263 Mayors, Asunción in Focus.
What Is Not Yet Known
Official results from the Paraguay municipal elections were not final at the time of writing. Prosecutors have not said how many detentions will lead to charges.
The 5Días budget figures have not been confirmed by the electoral court. The TSJE will also compile a list of non-voters, who can justify their absence or pay a fine voluntarily, 5Días reported.
Sources: 5Días, record election budget, municipal transfers, 5 million voters and non-voter list, 4 Oct 2026; La Nación, Cartes votes and Peña votes and 18 detained, 4 Oct 2026; ABC Color, Cartes ballot, Peña on vote buying, four detained, Itapúa complaints and Asunción opposition claims, 4 Oct 2026; Última Hora, Cartes message, Canindeyú nails, Ciudad del Este detention and Asunción vote-buying claim, 4 Oct 2026; RDN, 18 detained, 4 Oct 2026; Prensa Mercosur, prosecutors’ briefing, 4 Oct 2026.
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