Colorado Political Identity: Family, Leadership, and Tradition. A Focus Group Analysis (2021)

Abstract

This article analyzes the social representations and collective imaginary of members affiliated with the Colorado Party (ANR) in Paraguay, based on nine focus groups conducted in 2021 in Asunción, Ciudad del Este, and Coronel Oviedo. The study explores what coloradismo means to its members and which figures they consider emblematic of the party. The findings reveal that Colorado identity is primarily configured as a family heritage and an "ascriptive community," where affiliation transcends instrumental rationality and is linked to affective bonds transmitted intergenerationally. Coloradismo is associated with values such as intraparty solidarity, nationalism, and state management capacity. Alfredo Stroessner emerges as the most emblematic figure, associated with order, security, and major infrastructure projects, followed by contemporary leaders such as Horacio Cartes and Nicanor Duarte Frutos. However, the analysis reveals a tension between an idealized past—characterized by fanaticism, unity, and solidarity—and a present marked by disappointment with the corruption and individualism of the current leadership. This temporal rupture has fostered a rationalization of voting behavior, especially among lower socioeconomic sectors and in the country's interior, where party loyalty gives way to convenience-based criteria. The study contributes to understanding how collective representations of strong leadership persist in Paraguayan political culture, rooted both in family tradition and in a historical memory that transcends the Stroessner regime.