Electoral disputes cannot curtail fundamental rights. The case of the use of the Permanent Civic Registry for the internal elections of the National Concertation
By Jorge Rolón Luna
The agreement of a large sector of the opposition to the governing party has resulted in the creation of the Concertation to compete in the 2023 presidential elections. This Concertation intends to use the Permanent Civic Registry (RCP) as the basis of what they call an open electoral roll to elect their candidates. This means that anyone included in the RCP will have the option to vote (not the obligation), regardless of whether they are affiliated with one of the parties that are part of the concertation. This measure introduces a fundamental change in the logic of internal elections to elect representatives of political organizations, which has normally been closed to affiliates. With the step taken by the Concertation, Paraguay would join an international trend that is predominating in developed democracies and that aims at “open primaries”, that is, that any citizen may exercise the right to vote (if so desired) in the internal elections of political parties. As expected, this attempt to have an open electoral roll has unleashed the reaction of the ruling party and the judicialization of the matter.