Conservative wins Paraguay presidential poll: official

Asuncion (AFP) – Mario Abdo Benitez, who represents Paraguay’s long-dominant Colorado conservatives, won Sunday’s presidential poll, landing the top job in one of Latin America’s poorest countries, election officials said.

The US-educated son of a senior aide to the country’s late dictator, Abdo Benitez won 46.49 percent of the vote, with his centrist opponent Efrain Alegre taking 42.72 percent in a race that was far closer than expected.