Businessman Luis Pettengill made his candidacy official as Senator for the “Republican Force” movement. The President of the Republic, Mario Abdo, extended his congratulations showing his support for the elections.
The same businessman posted a message on social networks regarding this new personal challenge. “A new challenge to generate more work for the Paraguayan people as I have been doing for more than 40 years,” reads the publication.
Hugo Velázquez, Vice President of the Republic and presidential candidate, also sent a message to the businessman through his social networks.
“We thank Ing. Luis Pettengill for joining the ‘Republican Force’ as a candidate for senator. We are more and more Colorados who will fight for our democracy and the future of our beloved Paraguay. Long live the Colorado Party! Welcome Luis to this movement of authentic colorados!” reads the publication.
The businessman would head the list of senators of the “Republican Force” ahead of the next internal elections to be held on Sunday, December 18. Pettengill is linked to the business sector with important firms in the construction areas, in addition to the meat sector (Ocho A and Frigorífico Guaraní). He also had his time in the sports leadership, being president of the Cerro Porteño Club.
CONTEXT
On April 22, Luis Pettengill admitted to our media that he was interested in running for the presidency of the Republic. However, he stated that his incursion would take place only with the intention of unifying both blocks of the ANR (officialism and Chartism).
“I believe that there is no Paraguayan who would not like to be president of the Republic. I consider that I have the necessary skills, I do not see any type of impossibility, ”he said.
At the same time, he warned that the Colorado Party was very divided and needed a consensus candidate that brings together the two sectors.
“These very violent and strong divisions are very difficult to seal in a short time, because notice that in December it is the internal one and in April, four months later, it is the general election. Healing wounds that bleed there is very difficult, unity should be sought if the Colorado party wants to continue as a government, any Colorado concerned about their country who you ask will tell you the same thing. As we are, we are going to die, ”he warned a little over a month ago.
At that time, there were rumors that Abdo Benítez, President of the Republic, intended to place the businessman instead of Hugo Velázquez, as the presidential candidate for the ruling party. This, given the poor results obtained in the polls by the current Vice President of the Republic.
These rumors gained strength last Friday, May 6, when Mario Abdo Benítez, President of the Republic, announced that he will be Luis Pettengill’s campaign manager, in case the businessman ventures into the political arena and wins the next presidential elections in the ANR. .
However, since then, the rumors have lost strength, to the point that on June 1, the same businessman was in charge of announcing that he gave up his presidential aspirations.
“It was an idea of union, the date is ending and there is not going to be that union of Colorados to face the concertation,” he said in an interview with 780 AM.
In this way, Hugo Velázquez, current vice president and presidential candidate, will represent the Colorado ruling party in the next internal elections when he faces Santiago Peña, former Minister of Finance and representative of Chartism.
