Paraguay's ruling party candidate Abdo Benitez wins presidency

ASUNCION - Mario Abdo Benitez, the candidate from Paraguay's ruling Colorado Party, won the presidential election on Sunday, data released by the country's election tribunal showed.

According to results released by the Superior Court of Electoral Justice (TSJE) of Paraguay, Benitez garnered 46.47 percent of the votes, while his main rival Efrain Alegre pocketed 42.72 percent, after 98.11 percent of ballots were counted.

Jaime Bestard, the TSJE president, announced in a press conference that this result is "irreversible."