Paraguay
Questions Raised at the ARP Over an ANR Celebration Held After a Party Cavalcade
Members of the Asociación Rural del Paraguay criticized the use of the grounds for a celebration linked to the Partido Colorado. The organization’s leadership said it had only authorized the sheltering of about 170 horses and was unaware of the partisan nature of the activity.
A celebration linked to the Asociación Nacional Republicana (ANR) on the grounds of the Asociación Rural del Paraguay (ARP) prompted internal criticism among members of the rural organization, according to ABC Color.
According to that outlet, on September 12 the president of the Partido Colorado, Horacio Cartes, promoted a celebration for the 139th anniversary of the ANR’s founding. As part of the activity, about 170 horses with their riders set out from Mariano Roque Alonso toward the headquarters of the Junta de Gobierno, in Asunción, while other animals were transported in livestock trucks.
ABC Color reported that the column departed from the ARP grounds, where the horses were housed and their riders were practicing for the event. It also indicated that Cartes was at one of the rehearsals the previous Friday, according to photos posted on his social media accounts.
After the activity in the capital, the Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Giménez, led the return to the ARP fairgrounds, always according to ABC Color. The caravan entered through the main access on route PY03 and then there was a party celebration with barbecue, catering service, emblems and ANR flags.
In response to criticism from non-Colorado members, the ARP leadership, headed by Daniel Prieto Davey, issued a statement saying that days earlier a member had requested permission to deposit and keep approximately 170 horses. According to that version, that was the only authorization granted and no other use of the grounds was requested or approved.
The organization acknowledged that, after the political event, the column entered through the main gate to hold a celebration with partisan symbols. In that text, the central board stated that it did not know the activity would have that character and maintained that the sheltering of animals led to a partisan event inside the grounds at the end of the cavalcade.
However, ABC Color added that several non-Colorado members rejected that explanation and denied that the board was unaware of the purpose of the activity. According to those objections, the preparation of the horses with republican emblems took place over several days and the subsequent barbecue required logistics, catering and prior setup with ANR flags.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with assistance from artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this event.
