Taiwan ties in balance as Paraguay votes

ASUNCION: Future ties with Taiwan are in play as Paraguayans go to the polls on Sunday to pick a president they hope will tackle endemic corruption, rising crime and economic inequality.

A centre-left coalition is aiming to end the almost unbroken, seven-decade hegemony of the ruling conservative Colorado Party in the closest race in many years. Some 4.8 million of the South American country´s 7.5 million inhabitants are eligible to vote in the election for president and legislature that will be determined in a single round.

Lawyer Efrain Alegre, 60, of the Concertacion centre-left coalition is leading narrowly in opinion polls amid a recent anti-incumbency trend in Latin American elections. His main challenger is Santiago Pena, a 44-year-old economist and former finance minister hoping to continue the rule of the Colorado Party that has governed almost continually since 1947 -- through a dictatorship and since the return of democracy in 1989.

Though they differ on economic and international policy, the two frontrunners are both socially conservative, defending strong anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage stances in an overwhelmingly Catholic nation.

The outcome could have important consequences for Paraguay´s international relations. It is among only 13 countries to recognise Taipei over Beijing. But Alegre has vowed to reconsider this if he wins, telling AFP: “Relations with Taiwan mean the loss of one of the largest markets, which is China.”

He added: “Paraguay makes a very big effort, a very big sacrifice to have relations with Taiwan, but we are not seeing from Taiwan the same effort.” Latin America has been a key diplomatic battleground.