Paraguay’s Colorado Party Leader Backs Impeachment of President Peña

Horacio Cartes, president of Paraguay’s Colorado Party, backed impeachment proceedings against President Santiago Peña in a signed statement published on November 5. Cartes said the party supported the move to restore the country’s institutional order. His statement endorsed proceedings; it did not announce a congressional vote or Peña’s removal. “We support impeachment proceedings against President Santiago Peña,” Cartes said. He accused those responsible of stealing public funds, private funds and pensioners’ money, allegations made in his statement. He urged consideration for ordinary people and the party’s values, and said honoring its history of public service required courage when the country demanded it. A day earlier, Paraguay’s Senate unanimously accepted the Chamber of Deputies’ amended legislation expanding Law 2,334/03 on deposit guarantees and bank resolution. The Senate said the measure, sent to the executive, provided an advance of up to 40 monthly minimum wages per depositor affected by Ueno Bank’s resolution. Overdue obligations would be offset against the depositor’s total deposits before calculating the advance. Under the payment timetable described by the Senate, the procedure must begin within 24 hours and finish within five working days after the law takes effect for resolutions already underway, or after a future resolution is approved. Payments would go electronically to an account in the depositor’s name, with cash available for depositors who have no such account.