Paraguay sets timetable for 2023 general elections

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSJE) of Paraguay held on Monday the official ceremony to convene the 2023 elections, setting April 30 next year as the date for the general and departmental elections.

The president of the TSJE, Minister Jaime Bestard, said during the ceremony at the headquarters of the electoral authority, “From now on, the rules of the game are clearly established, with an electoral calendar that must be followed punctually and strictly.”

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Bestard also addressed the aspects related to the system of closed and unblocked lists. Regarding the use of technology, he stressed that “the Paraguayan people have shown incredible adaptability, and the message we have received is that citizens like the electronic voting system.”

Similarly, he referred to political financing, stating that “we are convinced that the investment in electoral material (…) is an element that leads to the civic formation of a country, and only countries with a solid structure in their institutions are those that give seriousness to a nation.”

During the ceremony, Resolution TSJE No. 16/2022 was read, which provides for elections to fill the posts of President of the Republic, 45 national senators, and 30 deputies.

At the same time, the departments elect their corresponding deputies, 80 in total, as well as 17 governors with as many departmental boards.

The ceremony was attended, among others, by Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez, the President of the Senate Chamber, Oscar Salomón, and the Ministers of Justice, César Diesel and Víctor Ríos.