During the last extraordinary session of the Chamber of Deputies, Carlos María López (Liberal Party, Cordillera), was elected president of the board of directors with 48 votes in favor, two abstentions and 30 absentees. López was the candidate of the opposition parties and the Colorado ruling party. The term of office will run from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023.
The fact had a great political repercussion since Pedro Alliana, a Colorado chartist deputy had three consecutive terms, and was aiming for a fourth term.
Analysts explain what the political impact of this election will be for both the remainder of Mario Abdo Benítez’s mandate and the presidential elections.
Clara Martínez, a political scientist and communicator, affirmed that the great winner of last week was Hugo Velázquez and his political team.
“They are already putting together this whole strategy looking at the 2023 presidential elections. This change is part of the Colorado internalism. It is noted that there was a direct intervention by Velázquez where the defeated was Horacio Cartes”, he commented.
Regarding the violence generated, he expressed that the legislators do not have political maturity and should behave in a more appropriate way.
“Velázquez is already playing to be able to occupy key spaces. He is openly making deals with the opposition. I believe that, through this political agreement, the Chamber of Deputies came out well”, he commented.
Finally, he said that, eight months after the presidential elections, it is still premature to say who is better off among the Colorado presidential candidates, alluding to Hugo Velázquez (officialism) and Santiago Peña (Chartism).
“There is a dirty campaign between the two referents. I believe that the internal ones will be very bloody and that the conflicts will continue”, he concluded.
MANHANELLI
Caio Manhanelli, a Brazilian social scientist, anthropologist, political consultant, explains that, in any country, the political group that governs it needs to have some control over Parliament.
“The presidency has the key to what is going to be debated in the chamber. It has to do with the need for the government of Mario Abdo to improve its image in order to do something for the country. This helps Abdo and Velázquez’s candidacy,” he reported.
He affirms that managing the presidency of the Lower House means that Abdo has more chances to improve the country and thus improve his image and that of the people around him.
