Paraguay will hold its 2026 Municipal Elections on Sunday, 4 October, with more than five million voters choosing local authorities across the country’s 263 districts. The elections will determine mayors and members of the country’s municipal councils for the 2026-2031 period.
For residents and visitors, election weekend brings several restrictions that may affect plans across Paraguay. Rules cover alcohol sales, political campaigning, public events around polling stations. The official campaign period for the 2026 Municipal Elections ends at 23:59 on Thursday, 1 October. Another key restriction takes effect at 19:00 on Saturday, 3 October, when businesses across Paraguay must stop selling alcoholic beverages ahead of Sunday’s vote.
Can you go to a restaurant or bar on Saturday night?
Going out for dinner on Saturday is possible, but alcohol sales must stop from 19:00. Article 335 of Paraguay’s Electoral Code prohibits merchants from selling alcoholic beverages during the 12 hours before voting begins and throughout election day. As voting starts at 07:00 on Sunday, the restriction begins at 19:00 on Saturday. The measure applies nationwide to businesses including restaurants, bars, pubs, supermarkets, convenience stores, bodegas and other shops selling alcohol.
However, the restriction on alcohol does not automatically mean every restaurant must close. Current information provided by the supermarket sector, for example, indicates that stores can continue operating and selling other products while suspending alcohol sales. Restaurants can similarly continue providing food where their operation does not constitute a prohibited public event.
Therefore, someone planning dinner at 20:00 on Saturday should check directly with the establishment beforehand. Even when a restaurant remains open, it cannot legally sell beer, wine, cocktails or other alcoholic drinks after 19:00. Normal online opening hours should also be treated cautiously this weekend. Several Asunción restaurants and bars currently show regular late-night Saturday hours online, but these listings do not necessarily reflect special election-weekend arrangements.
Parties and gatherings at home during Municipal Elections 2026
Private gatherings are treated differently from public events. Electoral Justice authorities explain there is no express prohibition against people gathering inside a private home outside the protected area surrounding polling stations. Private alcohol consumption is also different from alcohol sales. Authorities have clarified that people may consume alcoholic drinks inside private properties if they purchased them beforehand.
This means a private Saturday dinner or Sunday gathering with friends or family is not automatically prohibited by election law. However, the situation changes around polling locations. Groups that could directly or indirectly pressure voters cannot gather within 200 metres of voting centres on election day. Anyone living very close to a polling station should therefore exercise additional caution with large gatherings, particularly those connected to candidates or political organisations.
What else is prohibited on election day?
Article 195 of Paraguay’s Electoral Code establishes several restrictions specifically intended to protect voting and public order. Carrying weapons is also prohibited within the same 200-metre radius, even when someone otherwise holds administrative authorisation to carry one. Political parties, movements and alliances cannot install consultation tables within that protected area either. Public entertainment is prohibited until two hours after voting finishes. Entering an electoral precinct while drunk or under the influence of drugs is also considered an electoral offence.
What do voters need on Sunday?
Voting takes place on Sunday, 4 October, with polling beginning at 07:00. Under Paraguay’s Electoral Code, voting during summer time closes at 17:00, although anyone already waiting in line at closing time must still be allowed to vote. Voters must be registered and included on the electoral roll for their district.
A valid identity card is not necessarily required: The Superior Tribunal of Electoral Justice (TSJE) confirms that voters can use an expired Paraguayan identity card. However, photocopies and temporary documents or passwords used while an identity card is being processed are not accepted. Voters can consult their assigned polling location and table through the Electoral Justice services before travelling to vote.
Counting the votes and releasing results
The counting process begins once voting finishes. Paraguay will again use its Preliminary Election Results Transmission system, known as TREP, for the municipal elections. The TSJE’s procedures state that transmission of certificates containing voting results cannot begin before 17:00. There is also an important restriction for people following election coverage online. Exit-poll information may be collected during election day, but results cannot legally be published while voting continues. Publication is permitted from one hour after polls close.
For those planning their weekend, the easiest timetable to remember is therefore straightforward: political campaigning finishes on Thursday night, alcohol sales stop at 19:00 on Saturday, and Paraguay votes on Sunday.
