Paraguay’s Colorado Party won 163 mayoralties in the 2021 municipal elections. On Sunday, voters choose 263 mayors and municipal councils in a nationwide test for the party. The vote allocates local offices, but it won’t change the national government: no presidential or congressional election is being held.
The Tribunal Superior de Justicia Electoral (TSJE) lists 5,043,154 registered voters. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Paraguay time. Anyone inside a polling place when voting closes may still cast a ballot.
A long hold on political power
The Colorado Party, formally the National Republican Association (ANR), is described as conservative. It was founded in 1887 and has governed Paraguay almost without a break since 1947, including during the Stroessner dictatorship from 1954 to 1989. It was out of power only from 2008 to 2013.
The main opposition, the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA), is described as centrist. Opponents of Stroessner founded it in 1978. In the previous municipal elections, the Liberals won 62 mayoralties. Smaller parties such as Patria Querida often join them in local alliances.
President Santiago Peña and his Colorado Party face the vote as a test before the 2028 presidential election. Peña can’t run again, but his party aims to retain the presidency. Local results won’t translate directly into national votes. Election coverage said turnout and the durability of opposition alliances remained unknown.
Asunción and opposition alliances
Asunción is the biggest prize. Colorado candidate Camilo Pérez is running against Soledad Núñez, a civil engineer and former housing minister who isn’t a career party politician. She is on the Patria Querida ticket, backed by about 15 opposition parties and movements, including the Liberals.
Two September polls put Pérez ahead. Ati Snead’s poll, conducted 11–16 September, gave him about 52.6% to Núñez’s 34.3%. Grau & Asociados’ poll, conducted 16–17 September, gave Pérez 50.8% to 27.0%. The outlets that published the polls lean toward the ruling party, and coverage cautioned that the gaps should be treated carefully.
In Ciudad del Este, a major trading city on the Brazilian border, Daniel Mujica of the Yo Creo movement won a November 2025 by-election by 40 points after Miguel Prieto’s removal from office. Prieto was removed in August 2025 and predicted a historic Colorado defeat. Colorado candidate Rigoberto Chamorro is on the team of Governor César “Landy” Torres. No recent public poll was available for the city.
Counting and the limits of the contest
In Encarnación, deputy Sebastián “Cheba” Remesowski is the Colorado candidate; he won his primary with 76%. Liberal deputy Carlos Pereira is his main rival, backed by Alianza Encarnación en Marcha, which brings together the Liberals, Patria Querida and smaller parties. In San Lorenzo, Felipe Salomón, Colorado mayor in 2021–2026, is seeking to return against Liberal consensus candidate Luz Bella González. No recent public polls were available for either city.
The TSJE’s preliminary count, known as TREP, was expected to begin around 5:30 p.m. local time. Officials expected results from all districts by 8 p.m. at the latest. TREP is preliminary and non-binding; electoral tribunals in each circuit conduct the official count and proclaim winners after Sunday. Publishing exit polls and survey data is prohibited until one hour after polls close.
Coverage reported no prediction market for the municipal races. Kalshi listed contracts for the 2028 congressional election, pricing the Colorado Party at about 76% to win the Senate vote and 82% to win the Chamber of Deputies vote. Only a few thousand contracts had traded, making those prices a rough signal.
Paraguay’s central bank reported year-on-year growth of 4.0% in the second quarter, down from 7.3% in the first quarter, and growth of 5.7% for the first half. Election coverage also noted debate over opening trade with mainland China; Paraguay is the only South American state that recognizes Taiwan. It reported no wage, employment or profit figures tied to the municipal race.