Chamber:
	Cámara de Senadores
Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):
	10 May 1998
Purpose of elections:
	Elections were held for all seats in the Senate on the normal expiry of the members' term of office.
Background and outcome of elections:
	As is the custom in Paraguay, the congressional elections were held simultaneously with those for President and Vice-President of the Republic and governors. Primary contestants in the presidential race to succeed Mr. Juan Carlos Wasmosy (ineligible for re-election) were Mr. Raul Cubas Grau of the ruling National Republican Association (ANR)-Colorado Party and Mr. Domingo Laino of the opposition Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PRLA), leading member of the two-party Democratic Alliance. Mr. Cubas had replaced General Lino Oviedo as official candidate after the latter had been imprisoned for attempting to stage a coup d’Etat to topple President Wasmosy. During the campaign, however, Mr. Cubas honored the popular General’s proposals relating to regional economic integration (Mercosur) with Paraguay’s neighbours, agrarian reform and the fight against corruption. Mr. Laino, for his part, likewise emphasized the need to combat corruption as well as two of the country’s greatest economic scourges: unemployment and widespread poverty. On polling day, Mr. Cubas triumphed by a commanding margin along with his running mate Luis Maria Argana and the ANR-Colorado Party also won the congressional races, capturing 45 Chamber of Deputies seats and 24 Senate seats. In this context, Mr. Laino - who had vied unsuccessfully for the presidency twice before - initially alleged fraud. But international observers from the Organization of American States (OAS) labeled the elections clean. Mr. Cubas took office on 15 August and the new Cabinet was sworn in the same day.

STATISTICS

Round no 1 (10 May 1998): Elections results
Number of registered electors	2,049,449
Voters	1,648,880 (80.45 % )
Blank or invalid ballot papers	77,003
Valid votes	1,571,877

Round no 1: Distribution of votes
Political Group	Votes	%
National Republican Association (ANR)-Colorado Party	813,287	51.74
Democratic Alliance	661,764	42.10
Others	96,826	6.16

Round no 1: Distribution of seats
Political Group	Total
National Republican Association (ANR)-Colorado Party	24
Democratic Alliance	20
Others	1

Comments:
	Democratic Alliance: 13 seats to the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PRLA) and 7 seats to the National Encounter Party (PEN)

Distribution of seats according to sex:
Men:	37
Women:	8