Paraguay’s new president promises to strengthen ties with Taiwan

By Diógenes Freire

During the election campaign, leftist candidate Efraín Alegre, defeated by Santiago Peña in Paraguay’s presidential elections, criticized the relationship with Taiwan, considered a “rebel province” by the Chinese Communist Party.

After speaking by telephone with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, Paraguay’s President-elect Santiago Peña pledged to strengthen bilateral ties with the island, considered a “rebel province” by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

“We will continue strengthening the historical ties between Paraguay and the Republic of China (Taiwan) and look forward to working together on mutually beneficial cooperation projects for our countries in the coming years,” Peña said via Twitter last Friday (5).

In congratulating Paraguay’s new president, Tsai Ing-wen said she looked forward to working with Penan.

“I look forward to working together to promote bilateral cooperation and the welfare of the two peoples,” she said.

Last Monday, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry had already congratulated Peña on his election victory. Paraguay is one of 13 states that maintain official relations with Taiwan and recognize it as a country.

Diplomatic relations between Asunción and Taipei were discussed in the Paraguayan elections. The candidate of the left, Efraín Alegre, was against maintaining the relationship with Taiwan.

Near midnight last Sunday (30), with almost 100% of the votes counted, the Minister of Electoral Justice, Jorge Bogarín González, announced the victory of the former Minister of Economy Santiago Peña for the post of President, with 43% of the votes.

Unlike Brazil, Paraguay’s electoral system includes printed ballots and public counting of votes, indispensable conditions for the legitimization of an election in a democratic regime.

Classified as a centre-right politician by the press, Peña has clear positions against abortion, gender agenda and other issues dear to conservatives.

During the campaign, Peña also promised to create 500,000 new jobs in the next five years.