Paraguay far-right populist presidential candidate arrested
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Paraguayo Cubas was being held in preventative detention pursuant to an order from the Attorney General's Office that accuses him of breaching the peace, as per police.
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National Crusade Party presidential candidate Paraguayo Cubas, center left, sits next to police Sub Commissioner Baldomero Jorgge, outside the Specialized Group building where Cubas is being held, in Asuncion, Paraguay, Friday, May 5, 2023. (AP)
Paraguayan police, on Friday, arrested Paraguayo Cubas, a far-right populist who came in third in Sunday’s presidential election and incited his supporters to protest his unsubstantiated claims that the vote was shadowed by fraud.
Police Commissioner Gilberto Fleitas said in a radio interview that Cubas was being held in preventative detention pursuant to an order from the Attorney General's Office that accuses him of violation of peace.
Officers detained Cubas outside his hotel in San Lorenzo, some 15 kilometers from Asunción, where he was running for office as the National Crusade Party's candidate and earned 23% of the vote on Sunday. He was doing a live Facebook broadcast at the time.
Cubas entered a police car, according to Fleitas, "without any difficulty," yet he persisted in streaming.
Cubas talked with policemen while talking on camera as he broadcasted from inside the police car. He also showcased his handcuffs on the camera.
“You can see now I’m being imprisoned,” he said. “All the criminals in this country should be handcuffed like Paraguayo Cubas.”
Since Monday, Cubas has been informing his followers that he will be traveling to the capital to take the helm of a series of demonstrations that have resulted in isolated clashes with the law, mostly in the area of the electoral court in Asunción.
At least 208 people have been arrested “for disturbance of public peace and other punishable offenses within the framework of the demonstrations taking place in the national territory,” as per police.
The chief of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party, Efrain Alegre, who came in second place during Sunday’s election, called for the release of Cubas along with everyone who has been detained in the protests during the last week.
“We demand the release of Paraguayo Cubas and all citizens imprisoned for demanding transparency,” Alegre said on social media.
Santiago Pena secured a sweeping victory in Paraguay's presidential elections on Sunday after claiming 42.7 percent of votes out of 99.9 percent counted ballots.
Pena is the candidate of the country's ruling party, the conservative Colorado Party, which has dominated the political scene since the 1950s. With his win, the party further tightened its grip on the government.
