A fire unleashed this Thursday in the Superior Court of Electoral Justice of Paraguay burned thousands of electronic ballot boxes, a little more than two months before primary elections that will define the candidates for the 2023 presidential elections, said the authorities, who are looking for two disappeared officials.
“So far we have lost 8,500 voting machines, notebooks, electoral materials, but we guarantee the citizens that the December elections will be held as planned,” said the organization’s president, Jaime Bestard, outside the building in Asunción.
The head of the National Police, Commissioner Gilberto Fleitas, told reporters that he was “looking for two officials” from the court “whose whereabouts are unknown.”
The primaries of the different parties are scheduled for December 18, and the presidential elections for April 30, 2023.
More than 20 cars and 300 firefighters were deployed to combat the flames, which were brought under control after six hours.
The fire of great proportions provoked the fury of the opposition front, led by the Liberal Party, which denounced it as an intentional act.
“I have no doubt, this is sabotage,” he declared. to the media his representative, William Ferrero.
The theory was not directly rejected by the spokesman for the electoral tribunal, Luis Alberto Mauro.
“We have no evidence to know if it was provoked. We need a little more time to investigate the origin of the fire,” he said.
The deputy minister of the court, Jorge Bogarín, announced the formation of a “crisis committee” to investigate the incident.
In the primaries, the Colorado party in power must choose its candidate among Arnoldo Wiens, Minister of Works for President Mario Abdo Benítez, and Santiago Peña, Dauphin for former President Horacio Cartes (2013-2018).
For its part, the Liberal party postulates Efraín Alegrealthough his candidacy must be ratified in the December internal elections.
