Colorado Party (Paraguay)

It initially ruled the country from 1887 until 1904. In 1946, it rejoined the government, together with the Febreristas, during Higinio Moríñigo's rule as President of Paraguay.

The Colorado Party became the dominant political force in the country following the conclusion of the 1947 civil war. During this time, the party operated multiple paramilitary wings. From 1947 until 1962, the Colorado Party ruled Paraguay as a one-party state; all other political parties were illegal.[9] In 1962, all national parties were nominally legalized; the Communist Party being deemed "international" remained illegal and its adherents repressed by the Paraguayan state. During the rule of Alfredo Stroessner all members of the armed forces and government employees were required to be members of the Colorado Party. Dissident groups within the party were purged, and two (Movimiento Popular Colorado and Asociación Nacional Republicana en el Exilio y la Resistencia) acted as opposition groups in exile until the 1980s. In 1987, there was a rift in the party between a hardliner faction supportive of Stroessner and a traditionalist faction.[10] This rift was primarily over the issue of Stroessner's succession and was a large contributor to the 1989 coup d'état led by General Andrés Rodríguez, himself a traditionalist.[11]

In practice, however, Paraguay remained a one-party military dictatorship until Stroessner's overthrow in 1989. It served as one of the "twin pillars" of Stroessner's 35-year rule, one of the longest in history by a non-royal leader.[12]

In 2002, the National Union of Ethical Citizens split from the party.

At the legislative elections of 27 April 2003, the party won 35.3% of the popular vote (37 out of 80 seats) in the Chamber of Deputies of Paraguay and 32.9% (16 out of 45 seats) in the Senate. Its candidate at the presidential elections on the same day, Nicanor Duarte, won 37.1% of the popular vote and was elected President of Paraguay.

Originally, the Colorado Party was conservative, representing those opposed to the Liberal Party.

On 20 April 2008, for the first time in 61 years, the Colorado Party lost the presidential elections to an opposition candidate from the center-left, Fernando Lugo, a Roman Catholic bishop, a first on both accounts (free election of an opposition candidate and of a bishop to the office of president in Paraguay). The Colorado Party was represented in these elections by Blanca Ovelar, the first woman to run for the presidency. Fernando Lugo, who had renounced the cloth before the elections so that he could become eligible under Paraguayan law, was formally released from his vows by the Vatican before his installation as president on 15 August 2008.

According to Antonio Soljancic, a social scientist at the Autonomous University of Asunción, "in order to get a job, you had to show you were a party member. The problem Paraguay has is that, although Stroessner disappeared from the political map, he left a legacy that no one has tried to bury".[13]

Note: From 1947 until 1962, the Colorado Party was the sole legal party. Free and fair elections did not take place until 1993.

Election	Party candidate	Votes	%	Result
1953	Federico Chávez	224,788	100%	Elected (sole legal party) Y
1954	Alfredo Stroessner	236,191	100%	Elected (sole legal party) Y
1958		295,414	100%	Elected (sole legal party) Y
1963		569,551	92.3%	Elected Y
1968		465,535	71.6%	Elected Y
1973		681,306	84.7%	Elected Y
1978		905,461	90.8%	Elected Y
1983		944,637	91.0%	Elected Y
1988		1,187,738	89.6%	Elected Y
1989	Andrés Rodríguez	882,957	76.59%	Elected Y
1993	Juan Carlos Wasmosy	449,505	41.78%	Elected Y
1998	Raúl Cubas Grau	887,196	55.35%	Elected Y
2003	Nicanor Duarte	574,232	38.30%	Elected Y
2008	Blanca Ovelar	573,995	31.75%	Lost N
2013	Horacio Cartes	1,104,169	48.48%	Elected Y
2018	Mario Abdo Benítez	1,206,067	48.96%	Elected Y
2023	Santiago Peña	1,292,079	43.94%	Elected Y

Note: From 1947 until 1962, the Colorado Party was the sole legal party. Free and fair elections did not take place until 1993.

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
1960			60 / 60	60
1963	569,551	92.3%	40 / 60	20
1968	465,535	71.6%	40 / 60
1973	681,306	84.7%	40 / 60
1978	905,461	90.7%	40 / 60
1983	944,637	91.0%	40 / 60
1988	1,187,738	89.6%	40 / 60
1989	845,820	74.5%	40 / 72
1993	488,342	43.4%	38 / 80	2
1998	857,473	53.8%	45 / 80	7
2003	520,761	35.3%	37 / 80	8
2008	582,932	32.96%	30 / 80	7
2013	919,625	40.99%	44 / 80	14
2018	927,183	39.10%	42 / 80	2
2023	1,345,730	47.43%	48 / 80	6

Note: free and fair elections did not take place until 1993.

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
1968			20 / 30	20
1973	681,306	84.7%	20 / 30
1978			20 / 30
1983			20 / 30
1988			20 / 30
1993	498,586	44.0%	20 / 45
1998	813,287	51.7%	24 / 45	4
2003	508,506	34.4%	16 / 45	8
2008	509,907	29.07%	15 / 45	1
2013	865,206	38.50%	19 / 45	4
2018	766,841	32.52%	17 / 45	2
2023	1,317,463	45.72%	23 / 45	6