Paraguay’s new president, Pedro Alliana, took office after the Senate impeached Santiago Peña. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wished him success and called for closer ties between the countries. (Foto: Instagram)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wished Pedro Alliana success on Friday, Nov. 6, after Alliana took office as Paraguay’s president following the impeachment of Santiago Peña. In a social media message, Lula said he hoped to work with the new government to strengthen ties between the two countries and advance South American integration.
Lula said he wished Alliana “every success in his new role” and hoped they could work together in an open, frank and cooperative way. He also said he looked forward to welcoming Alliana to Brasília to discuss the countries’ shared agenda and give fresh momentum to their longstanding friendship.
Alliana, 52, belongs to the Colorado Party, the same party as Peña and a historically dominant force in Paraguayan politics. He is from Pilar, in the Ñeembucú department, and served as governor of the region from 2008 to 2012. He was a member of Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies from 2013 to 2023 and previously led the Colorado Party’s caucus there.
In April, Alliana announced a preliminary bid for the presidency in the 2028 election. Peña and former president Horacio Cartes publicly supported his prospective candidacy, according to the report.
The transfer of power followed a serious political and financial crisis tied to the Ueno Bank. Paraguay’s Senate unanimously approved Peña’s impeachment on Friday after allegations of conflicts of interest, irregularities in the handling of pension funds and manipulation of rules connected to the bank. Peña held shares in a company linked to the bank’s controlling group until March 2025. After he became president in 2023, the bank received about $850 million in deposits from public entities, including funds from the Social Security Institute.
The Central Bank of Paraguay suspended Ueno Bank’s operations on Nov. 3 after identifying insufficient resources to meet the institution’s obligations. The resulting crisis left millions of customers unable to access their deposits. Peña was arrested under a court order. Alliana, who had been vice president, was called to take over after the impeachment; during his swearing-in speech, he promised that customers affected by the bank’s closure would get their money back.
