At Stake in this Election: 

• The presidency and vice-presidency of Paraguay 

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: President Mario ABDO Benitez (since 15 August 2018) 

• Head of Government: President Mario ABDO Benitez (since 15 August 2018) 

• Assembly: bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consisting of a 45-seat Chamber of Senators (Cámara de Senadores) and an 80-seat Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) 

Electoral System:  

• The President is directly elected by plurality vote and serves a single 5-year term. The president and vice president are elected as a slate. 

• All 45 senators are directly elected by closed-list proportional representation vote from a single, nationwide constituency. Senators serve 5-year terms. 

• All 80 deputies are directly elected by closed-list proportional vote in 18 multi-seat constituencies (departments). Deputies serve 5-year terms. 

Last Election: 

In 2018, Mario ABDO Benítez (ANR) won the presidency with 48.96% of the vote. His primary opponent, Efraín ALEGRE Sasain (PLRA) received 45.08% of the vote. Voter turnout was 58%. 

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 17 January 2023 

• Voter registration deadline: 30 December 2022 

New/Unique in this Election:  

Current president Mario Abdo Benítez (ANR) is ineligible for reelection due to term limits. Several opposition parties have formed a new coalition, the National Coalition for a New Paraguay (CN2023), in support of Efraín Alegre Sasain. 

Main Candidates in this Election: 

• Santi PEÑA Palacios 

• Colorado Party / Partido Colorado (ANR) 

• Efraín ALEGRE Sasain 

• National Coalition for a New Paraguay / Concertación Nacional para un Nuevo Paraguay (CN2023) 

• Alfredo MACHUCA Doldan 

• Independent Patriotic Citizen Coordination Movement / Movimiento Independiente Coordinadora Patriótica Ciudadana (CPC) 

• Euclides ACEVEDO Candia 

• New Republic Political Movement / Movimiento Político la Nueva República (MPNR) 

• Juan Felix ROMERO Lovera 

• Solidarity and Humanist Movement / Movimiento Humanista y Solidario (MHS) 

• Aurelio MARTÍNEZ Cabral 

• Paraguay, Unite / Únete Paraguay (UP) 

• Rosa BOGARÍN Alen 

• Heirs of the Democratic Socialist Party / Partido Socialista Democrático Herederos (PSDH) 

• Payo CUBAS Colomes 

• Nacional Crusade Party / Partido Cruzada Nacional (PCN) 

• Luis TALAVERA Alegre 

• Let’s Unite National Party / Partido Nacional Unámonos (PNU) 

• José Luís Félix CHILAVERT González 

• Youth Power Party / Partido de la Juventud Fuerza Joven (PJFJ) 

• Prudencio BURGOS Roa 

• National 30A People’s Party / Partido Nacional de la Gente 30A (PNG30A) 

• Jorge Humberto GÓMEZ Otaño 

• National Union of Ethical Citizens / Unión Nacional de Ciudadanos Éticos (UNACE) 

• Oscar CAÑETE 

• Green Party / Partido Verde Paraguay (PVP) 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 7,439,863 (2023 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 4,782,940 (2023) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 3,719,932 (2023 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Ratified (by accession) 6 April 1987 

• Gender Quota: Yes; 20% of the candidates in each party primary election must be women. 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 15 out of 80 in the Chamber of Deputies and 6 out of 45 in the Chamber of Senators 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.717, High, Rank 105 (2021) 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 22.2 (2023) 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 30 March 2007, Ratified 3 September 2008 

• Projected population with a disability: 1,115,979 (2023 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in Paraguay: No  

• Election Access: Yes 

• Election Judgements: Yes; 5 judgements & 6 resources