Image copyright AFP Image caption Mario Abdo Benítez won by a smaller margin than predicted

Conservative former senator Mario Abdo Benítez has been elected president of Paraguay.

He beat his closest rival, Efraín Alegre from the liberal opposition alliance, by four percentage points.

The result means the right-wing Colorado Party, which has dominated Paraguayan politics for decades, will maintain its hold on power.

Mr Abdo Benítez, 46, has promised to retain low tax policies and boost agricultural exports..

With almost all of the ballots counted, he had won 46.46% of the vote compared to 42.73% for Mr Alegre.

"My administration will be committed to gaining the confidence of those who did not accompany us," he said in his acceptance speech on Sunday night.

"[We] welcome those who want to build a just homeland, a homeland with equity, a homeland with moral, strong, independent institutions."

Mr Alegre has not yet conceded victory, but he told reporters that he "respects" the preliminary results.

Mr Abdo Benítez is the son of a close aide to former military dictator General Alfredo Stroessner, and has faced criticism for defending the former leader's record.

Gen Stroessner ruled the country from 1954 to 1989 and is viewed by critics as one of Latin America's most secretive and sinister dictators.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Last year, protests erupted when the president attempted to change the single term limit

Paraguayans also voted to elect senators, parliament deputies, governors and other local officeholders on Sunday.

Outgoing President Horacio Cartes, who triggered riots last year when he tried to change the constitution to allow him to seek a second term, won a seat in the Senate.

The current constitution, established in 1992 after the dictatorship, limits the head of state to a single five-year term.

Paraguay, a leading exporter of soybeans and beef, has enjoyed strong economic growth in recent years.

Political debate in the low-key electoral campaign focused mainly on security, corruption and social issues, over which analysts noted the two presidential rivals held relatively similar positions.

Both candidates pledged to reform the country's judicial system to more effectively tackle corruption.</s>The candidate from the ruling Colorado Party, conservative Mario Abdo Benítez, was Sunday elected president of Paraguay, with 96 percent of the polling stations counted, an official source announced Sunday.

Jaime Bestard, president of the Superior Court of Electoral Justice (TSJE), said a press conference that with less than a thousand polling stations left, preliminary results suggested that the victory of Mario Abdo Benitez in the 2018 presidential elections was "irreversible".</s>Conservative candidate Mario Abdo Benitez of Paraguay's ruling Colorado Party narrowly defeated his opposition in the country's presidential elections.

The group has dominated the country's political landscape for more than 70 years.

Benitez vowed to focus on Paraguay's persistent poverty by stimulating foreign investment.</s>ASUNCION (Reuters) - The candidate from Paraguay’s ruling Colorado Party won Sunday’s presidential election, according to official results with 96 percent of ballots counted, pointing to another five years of pro-business policies in the major soy producer.

The country’s elections authority said Mario Abdo, a 46-year-old former senator who campaigned on an anti-corruption platform, had an “irreversible” advantage over his main rival, Efrain Alegre, a lawyer from the center-left GANAR coalition.

“My administration will be committed to gaining the confidence of those who did not accompany us,” Abdo said in his acceptance speech.

Abdo had 46.49 percent of the vote to Alegre’s 42.72 percent, the head of Paraguay’s elections tribunal, Jaime Bestard, said on television. “The president-elect of Paraguay is Mario Abdo,” Bestard said.

Abdo supports current low-tax policies aimed at stimulating foreign investment and agricultural production in the world’s No. 4 soybean exporter and a major supplier of beef.

The margin of victory was much tighter than indicated by pre-election opinion surveys, which gave Abdo a voter intention advantage of 18 to 20 points. Alegre said he would not concede the race until all ballots were counted and confirmed.

Abdo set the stage for governing with a minority in Congress by calling for dialogue with opposition parties. He has promised to fight pressure to raise taxes despite calls from the opposition for a levy on soybean exports.

Outgoing President Horacio Cartes, who tried to change the constitution to allow him to seek a second term, won a Senate seat in Sunday’s vote.

Abdo is the son of the late private secretary of dictator Alfredo Stroessner, who ruled Paraguay with an iron hand for 35 years. Abdo was 16 when Stroessner’s rule ended in 1989.

Earlier on Sunday, Abdo visited the tomb of his father, as he did on the day of the primary election in December when he won the nomination of the Colorado Party.

Abdo’s conservative policies and family history were a concern to some voters who had doubts about his commitment to clean up government.

“This is a country of corruption and until we end that, we will not move forward. Mario Abdo is a son of the dictatorship and I do not think he will govern well,” Edgar Gonzalez, 45, said on his way out of his voting station in a high school in the upper-middle-class neighborhood of Trinidad in Asuncion.

Abdo’s father was also named Mario, giving the nickname “Marito” or “Little Mario” to his son, as he is popularly known.

About 4.2 million Paraguayans were eligible to vote in the election, in which all seats in Congress were up for election. The new president will take office on Aug. 15. Official congressional election results were to be announced over the coming days.

Grains-dependent Paraguay produced more than 10 million tonnes of soy last year and is trying to attract investment needed to reach its goal of 20 million tonnes by 2028.

Abdo’s party went into the election with 20 seats in Paraguay’s 45-member Senate, which last year debated a bill to slap a 10 percent tax on soybean exports.

“The push for an export tax will intensify after the election, which is likely to see the empowering of the Frente Guasu, a major proponent of the initiative, and a party which is expected to substantially increase its presence in Congress,” said Thomaz Favaro, an analyst for consultancy Control Risks.

Abdo may have to support the export tax to safeguard other parts of his investment-friendly agenda.

“Uncertainty over the level of taxation for the agriculture industry will thus likely persist in the short-to-medium term,” Favaro said.</s>The son of a former dictator's top aide won the presidential election in Paraguay on Sunday, helped by a booming economy under his party.

Mario Abdo Benitez of the governing Colorado Party had 46.5 percent of the votes, with 96 percent of 21, 000 polling stations reporting, electoral officials said. Efrain Alegre, a lawyer who represented the Authentic Radical Liberal Party, finished second with 42.7 percent of the ballots. He also was the No. 2 candidate in the last election.

Both candidates are conservatives and the election was closer than the 20-point edge that opinion polls had given Abdo going into the election. Eight other candidates finished far out of the running.

Abdo, a 46-year-old marketing expert, campaigned on a promise to continue the business-friendly policies of outgoing President Horacio Cartes and he played down any fears of a return to the heavy-handed past of dictator Alfredo Stroessner, who ruled from 1954 to 1989. Abdo's father was Stroessner's private secretary.

The top two candidates had similar platforms, promising to attract foreign investment to create jobs in an economy that has been one of the fastest-growing in the region but that still suffers from high poverty levels, extreme inequality and endemic corruption.

Both also are social conservatives who criticized sex education and abortion rights.

The Colorado Party has led Paraguay with only a few interruptions since the mid-20th Century. The landlocked nation of about 7 million people borders Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil.

Election officials reported no serious disturbances during the balloting, though a woman was detained for hitting Abdo in the shoulder while he was at the polling place. Police said her motive was unclear.

Sunday's voting also elected all seats in Congress and 17 governorships nationwide.</s>ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) — The son of a former dictator's top aide won the presidential election in Paraguay on Sunday, helped by a booming economy under his party.

Mario Abdo Benitez of the governing Colorado Party had 46.5 percent of the votes, with 96 percent of 21, 000 polling stations reporting, electoral officials said. Efrain Alegre of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party finished second with 42.7 percent of the ballots. Eight other candidates finished far out of the running.

Both candidates are conservatives and the election was closer than the 20-point edge that opinion polls had given Abdo going into the election. Alegre, a 55-year-old lawyer who also finished second in the last presidential election, declined to concede, saying he would wait for the final count, though electoral officials said there were not enough ballots left to be counted to change the result.

Abdo, a 46-year-old marketing expert, campaigned on a promise to continue the business-friendly policies of outgoing President Horacio Cartes and he played down any fears of a return to the heavy-handed past of dictator Alfredo Stroessner, who ruled from 1954 to 1989. Abdo's father was Stroessner's private secretary.

After the results were announced, Abdo promised an "unwavering commitment" to being a good manager of the government.

"We built an electoral project with a dialogue of reconciliation and pardon among all Paraguayans," he said.

The top two candidates had similar platforms, promising to attract foreign investment to create jobs in an economy that has been one of the fastest-growing in the region but that still suffers from high poverty levels, extreme inequality and endemic corruption.

Both also are social conservatives who criticized sex education and abortion rights.

The Colorado Party has led Paraguay with only a few interruptions since the mid-20th Century. The landlocked nation of about 7 million people borders Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil.

Election officials reported no serious disturbances during the balloting, though a woman was detained for hitting Abdo in the shoulder while he was at the polling place. Police said her motive was unclear.

Sunday's voting also elected all seats in Congress and 17 governorships nationwide.</s>Asuncion, April 23 (IANS) Paraguay’s ruling Colorado Party candidate Mario Abdo Benitez has won the presidential election, data released by the country’s election tribunal showed.

According to results released on Sunday Benitez garnered 46.47 per cent of the votes, while his main rival Efrain Alegre received 42.72 per cent, after 98.11 per cent of ballots were counted, Xinhua news agency reported.</s>ASUNCION (Reuters) - Paraguay’s business-friendly ruling party performed better than expected in Sunday’s Senate election, losing fewer seats than polls had projected and ensuring strict fiscal policies while lessening chances of a tax hike on the key soy sector.

Farmers in the world’s No. 4 soybean exporter had feared that the new Senate might approves a measure, defeated last year, that would slap a 10 percent levy on exports.

Surveys had projected that the ruling Colorado Party, whose presidential candidate Mario “Marito” Abdo won by a 3.7-point margin over his center-left opponent, could lose up to seven of the 20 seats it currently controls in the 45-member Senate.

But with 97.33 percent of the Senate vote officially counted on Monday, the Colorado Party looked to have lost only three.

“It appears that the shift toward the political left that had been projected did not happen,” political analyst and former member of Congress Sebastian Acha said in a telephone interview.

“Abdo kept a strong presence in the Senate,” he added.

Abdo, a 46-year-old former senator who campaigned on an anti-corruption platform and is set to be sworn in as president in mid-August, beat his main rival Efrain Alegre, a lawyer from the center-left GANAR coalition. But his margin of victory was much smaller than had been projected in polls.

Outgoing President Horacio Cartes had vetoed the proposed soybean export tax, and Abdo is also against the measure, which the business community feared would slow growth of the country soy sector.

Abdo was expected to keep most of Cartes’ policies unchanged.

Credit ratings agency Fitch in a statement kept Paraguay’s outlook at positive, considering its opinion that Abdo would maintain Cartes’ fiscal discipline. The agency said it projected that “Paraguay’s recent trend of robust growth and diversification will continue.”

Moody’s said that although the presidential election result was much tighter than anticipated, it expected Abdo’s government to broadly maintain the previous administration’s policies.

“Paraguay has a strong track record of fiscally conservative policies, supporting our view that the country will keep low debt burdens,” Moody’s analyst Samar Maziad said.

Results of Sunday’s election of members of the lower house of Congress, where the Colorado Party currently has 46 of the chamber’s 80 seats, are expected to be released next month.</s>Mario Abdo Benitez, a former senator from the ruling Colorado Party, won Sunday’s presidential election in Paraguay, in a surprisingly narrow victory over the opposition candidate.

Abdo Benitez, 46, a former senator, had 46.5 percent of the vote, with over 98 percent of voting stations counted, according to preliminary results from the electoral court. Former public works minister Efrain Alegre trailed with 42.7 percent of votes. Speaking at a press conference after the court’s statement, Alegre thanked his supporters, saying he respected the initial results, but would wait for final certification. The winner will take office August 15 when tobacco magnate and incumbent president Horacio Cartes steps down.

Speaking to a crowd in Asuncion, Abdo Benitez said he would work to win over those Paraguayans who voted for other candidates. “I invite them to be part of this story we are going to build together the coming years in Paraguay,” he said. “Today, I pledge to be a factor of unity in Paraguay.“

The new president will inherit one of the fastest growing economies in South America, but one that still suffers high levels of poverty and inequality. He has pledged to keep taxes low, but do a better job of collecting them to find higher spending on education and healthcare. The former senator has also promised to renegotiate the terms under which Paraguay sells power from the hydroelectric dams it shares with Brazil and Argentina.

“We see no major macro risks stemming from the elections, but the public sector debt burden is likely to continue moving higher,” JP Morgan strategist Diego Pereira said in an Apr. 12 note.

Paraguay has enjoyed a rare period of sustained growth during Cartes’ five-year term, with the economy expanding by an annual 6 percent between 2013 and 2017. However, an economic boom fueled largely by soybean and beef exports hasn’t erased many of the country’s dismal social indicators. More than a quarter of the population remains below the poverty line, and about a third of 15 to 19 year olds don’t receive any formal schooling.

Bondholders have certainly benefited from the landlocked South American country’s impressive GDP numbers and reasonably solid public finances. As of last week, Paraguay’s U.S. dollar debt had returned 42 percent since Cartes took office in August 2013, compared with average emerging market gains of 31 percent in that period, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.</s>Asuncion (AFP) - Paraguay, which holds a presidential election on Sunday, is a small landlocked nation in Latin America where corruption and drug trafficking are rampant.

Here are a few key facts about this nation of nearly seven million people.

Wedged between Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil, this overwhelmingly Catholic country has a porous border, making it a hub for drugs traffickers.

The narcotics, mainly cannabis and cocaine, move from Paraguay into Brazil and from there are shipped to Europe.

Paraguay's thriving drugs trade has sparked a wave of mafia turf battles and killings.

Brazil's most wanted drugs kingpin was arrested in late 2017 in Paraguay, as was Argentina's in 2016.

Despite an official campaign against endemic corruption, Paraguay remains 135th out of 180 countries on the 2017 corruption index of Transparency International.

It has two official languages: Spanish and Guarani -- an indigenous language spoken by 80 percent of the population.

Paraguay has been ruled almost interrupted since 1947 by the rightwing Colorado party of outgoing president Horacio Cartes.

The party has a reputation for corruption and Paraguay remains under the shadow of dictator Alfredo Stroessner, who ran the country from 1954 to 1989.

Under Stroessner's iron grip there were between 1,000 and 3,000 politically-motivated killings and disappearances, according to human rights groups.

The only time the country had a president who did not come from the Colorado party was in 2008-2012 when former Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo ruled.

He was removed after an impeachment trial, which was swiftly denounced as a coup by Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Venezuela.

In 2013, Cartes -- one of Paraguay's richest men -- brought the Colorado party back to power.

Four years later, there was a series of deadly riots as Cartes sought to change the constitution to allow him to run again. He backtracked in the wake of the violence.

Under the 1992 constitution, the president is elected for a five-year term in single-round elections, with no opportunity for re-election.

The party's candidate in Sunday's presidential election is Mario Abdo Benitez, the son of Stroessner's private secretary.

Paraguay is a major exporter of soy, beef and hydroelectric power, representing 70 percent of its exports in 2016 according to the World Bank.

It has huge dams on the Parana river, including Itaipu, the second biggest hydroelectric dam in the world in terms of production.

Stevia, a zero-calorie sweetener derived from the herb of the same name, has taken the global marketplace by storm.

One of Latin America's poorest countries, Paraguay has seen an average growth of four percent over the past decade.

Between 2009 and 2014, the number of people living on less than $4 per day dropped from 32.5 percent to 18.8 percent, World Bank figures show.

But in 2017, more than a quarter of the population -- 26.4 percent -- was still living in poverty, official figures showed.

Despite efforts to improve tax collection, its fiscal income remains very weak, and the quality of infrastructure and public services is consequently poor.

The country has nevertheless improved access to health care and basic education.
Colorado Party candidate Mario Abdo Benítez is elected President of Paraguay.