Wanted: Status Quo

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Former Minister of Finance Santiago Peña won Paraguay’s presidential elections, returning the ruling Colorado Party to power after a tight race that had threatened to end its decades-long hold on the country, Al Jazeera reported.

Results showed that Peña received more than 42 percent of the vote, defeating his center-left rival Efrain Alegre, who secured less than 28 percent.

Sunday’s presidential elections took place alongside parliamentary polls, which also saw the conservative Colorado Party secure the highest share of the vote, according to the BBC.

The elections follow a tightly-contested campaign that saw Alegre with a narrow lead in opinion polls suggesting he might unseat the Colorado Party, which has governed almost continually since 1947 – through a dictatorship and since the return of democracy in 1989.

The race also took place as the ruling party has seen some of its top members hit with sanctions by the United States over alleged corruption. One of the sanctioned individuals includes Peña’s political mentor and party leader, former President Horacio Cartes.

The victory for Peña and Colorado also offers relief for Taiwan: Alegre had vowed to reconsider the relationship with the self-governing island if he won.

Paraguay is one of only 13 countries to recognize Taiwan.

China considers Taiwan as part of its territory and has attempted to diplomatically isolate Taipei.

In March, Honduras became the latest country to drop its ties with Taiwan for China.