Argentina
The Paraguayan opposition puts runoff voting at the center of the political debate
After Javier Milei’s election in Argentina, opposition sectors are pushing the debate over a possible second round in Paraguay. The TSJE warned that any change would require a constitutional reform.
The possibility of introducing runoff voting in Paraguay began to gain ground on the opposition agenda ahead of the next political cycle, in a context marked by the regional impact of Javier Milei’s presidential victory in Argentina, according to HOY Paraguay.
According to that outlet, officials from the Superior Court of Electoral Justice acknowledged that there are frequent meetings among political leaders who are now out of power, and that the central issue is the intention to establish a second round of voting in the country.
“There are debates, frequent meetings and interested voices within politics about the possibility and feasibility of introducing a runoff or second-round electoral system”, said Jorge Bogarín González, head of the TSJE, in remarks cited by HOY Paraguay. He also noted that the main issue to be resolved is constitutional.
According to that same account, any eventual understanding between the governing party and the opposition to move forward with such a system would require a constitutional reform through a National Constituent Convention.
HOY Paraguay indicated that, so far, the greatest interest in promoting that change comes from the opposition, which believes that tool could alter the conditions of future elections. In the Colorado Party, by contrast, the prevailing stance would be to hear the proposal and respond in any eventual negotiation.
The debate, always according to what was published by HOY Paraguay, would naturally take place in Congress, where the Colorado Party holds a wide majority in the Chamber of Deputies and enough numbers in the Senate to condition any discussion about its viability.
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 do its own reporting on this fact.
