MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Abdo insists Paraguayan Vice-President Velázquez will succeed him

Abdo Benítez hopes to hand over the presidential sash to Velázquez in 2023

Paraguay's President Mario Abdo Benítez has once again endorsed Vice President Hugo Velázquez to be his successor on behalf of the Colorado Party, which -he said- was the custodian of the country's good democracy.

“I hope you keep walking, my dear Hugo, ... I hope that we will be the first project that can be united around values, a type of society that we propose, to defend our cause, that it can be the first project whose president hands over the presidential sash to the vice president of Paraguay,“ Abdo told Velázquez during the latter's birthday celebrations Friday.

”It does not depend on me, it depends on you winning the trust of the leaders, and it depends on touching the hearts of the people,“ he went on.

Velázquez was turning 54.

During an extensive speech in which he highlighted his administration's performance handling the coronavirus pandemic, Abdo insisted that ”neither the entire structure nor all the money“ could outdo the vote of the people.

The President also noted that today's actions will be remembered way after his own time and even after “Hugo is president the new generations will see the impact of the work.”

Abdo also capitalized on the opportunity to call for people to support the Colorado Party at the upcoming October 10 municipal elections. “Colorado is the custodian of good democracy in Paraguay. Politics must be a vocation of service and not for private and economic benefits,” he said.

He also asked citizens not to believe in the populist promises of the opposition, which pledge that the cost of energy will be zero, about Liberal Party Chairman Efraín Alegre. Abdo also pointed out that, even though the opposition strives for energy sovereignty, in their time they did not build the necessary energy transition lines so that the country can make use of 100% of the energy Paraguay is entitled to.

“A first stage begins on October 10. Here no one will be a hero against their flag, that day you have to go to defend the flag of the Colorado Party and vote for list 1, nobody returned from treason, look at those who carry the nickname of traitors in our party, they did not make it anywhere nowhere and they will never get there,” Abdo stressed.