Paraguay
Questions Raised in Natalio Over SEN Intervention Alongside Colorado Party Candidate
The local mayor denounced a possible political use of aid for families affected by the storm. The councilor named in the complaint rejected that version and said the assistance was managed without partisan distinction.
The mayor of Natalio, Lucas Ricardo Weschenfelder, issued an institutional statement in which he questioned the actions of officials from the National Emergency Secretariat, amid assistance for those affected by the hailstorm of September 11, according to ABC Color.
According to the municipal chief, the SEN set aside the Municipality’s institutional request and carried out visits together with Colorado Party candidates to collect data. In that context, he warned of an alleged politicization of the aid to favor councilor Ernan Doglas Volken Fernández, whom he linked to the Central Government, and expressed concern over a possible discretionary distribution of assistance.
Still according to ABC Color, Weschenfelder said the Municipality had already delivered, with its own resources, about 300 roofing sheets to more than 200 affected people. The storm damaged roofs of homes in the neighborhoods of San Antonio, San Miguel, San Ramón, Obrero, Km 5 and Luján.
Volken Fernández, candidate on list 1, confirmed that he contacted ANR lawmakers to arrange the SEN’s presence in the area, but denied that there was any partisan criterion in the aid. He said the goal was to assist those affected regardless of political affiliation and noted that the agency’s own officials asked him to accompany them to carry out the surveys.
The councilor said 242 affected families were identified and that more than 2,000 roofing sheets and mattresses were delivered. He also said he only accompanied the SEN delegation on Monday, while other councilors took part in the following days. In his view, the mayor’s complaint is politically motivated.
ABC Color also reported that, in a radio interview, councilor Ángela Rivas explained that SEN assistance efforts are channeled through the Colorado Party candidate because the Municipality does not respond to the line of the National Government. According to that version, for that reason the request had to be organized by the candidate from the ruling movement.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this event.
