He has three and a half months to prepare before assuming the presidency on August 15, but there are some things that Santiago Peña already sees very clearly: he wants to close the agreement between Mercosur and the European Union (EU) as soon as possible, he will keep the country away of the influence of China and will seek that the relationship with Spain adds intensity and closeness.
"Spain is a friend of Paraguay, our relationship has always been one of tremendous loyalty and friendship, mainly with the Spanish crown," said the president-elect during an interview with EL MUNDO days before his resounding victory this Sunday: 42.74 % against 27.84% for Efraín Alegre, at the head of a 14-party coalition, the Concertación, which fell far short of the expectations it had of defeating the Colorado Party for the second time in 70 years.
"The economic link is very good, but Paraguay has not developed political links, neither with Spain nor with another European country, which is what I want to work on," added Peña, whose triumph was followed closely, especially in three centers of world power. : United States, China and Israel.
Peña's success was bad news for China: Paraguay has maintained diplomatic relations for more than six decades with Taiwan, a historic politician of the Colorado Party, a right-wing force in which the motto "God, country and family" is frequently heard. . Declared anti-communists, the Colorados will not please Beijing and will continue to be the only country in South America that recognizes Taipei.
On the other hand, the fact that Peña is installed in the López Palace is good news for the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu. Horacio Cartes, president from 2013 to 2018 and Peña's mentor, moved the Paraguayan embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, something that was reversed by his successor, Mario Abdo Benítez, from the same party, although strongly opposed to Cartes and Peña. The president-elect intends to return the embassy to Jerusalem.
For the United States, Peña's success is a red flag. The embassy in Asunción is a decisive factor of power in the country of barely 7.5 million inhabitants. He labeled Cartes "significantly corrupt," sank the presidential candidate Abdo Benítez and heavily influenced the election. What will Peña do before the power of Washington?
"Look, I don't know what type of relationship Mario (Abdo) has had with the American government, I know the type of relationship I'm going to want to have: a relationship of respect, work, to be able to collaborate on issues Always respecting them and asking for the same treatment towards us".
Mercosur is another priority for the young 44-year-old economist, Finance Minister de Cartes. And, within that priority, Peña believes that there is no time to lose and that the association agreement between Mercosur and the EU must be closed this year.
"Paraguay has a great vocation for integration into the world, because for many years we were isolated. And Mercosur must be rethought, our countries are not the same as those of the '90s. A fresh and renewed look is needed. But everything within Mercosur and nothing outside of it".
That last sentence is bad news for Luis Lacalle Pou, president of Uruguay, who insists on negotiating trade deals individually. Brazil, Argentina and now Paraguay tell him that this is not possible.
In internal politics, Peña's difficulties will be major. The president-elect is not a great orator, and on the night of the triumph he was seen as excessively dependent on Cartes, a polarizing figure, also within the fractured Colorado Party. No one can say that the new president, essentially a technocrat with a Master's from Columbia University, doesn't know what it's like to face bigger challenges: He was a father at 17.
But, even so, hours after the victory, Peña felt the limits from the bowels of the Colorado Party. Silvio Ovelar, an influential senator linked to Cartes, practically announced a bicephaly: "Horacio Cartes' task is going to be very important, regardless of what the United States ambassador says."
And, in case it was not clear, the new president is, in his opinion, "a ruler who needs the guidance of a leading body more than ever."
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