Paraguay’s House of Representatives voted unanimously to open impeachment proceedings against President Santiago Peña, sending the measure to the Senate for consideration. (Foto: Instagram)
Paraguay’s House of Representatives voted unanimously on Thursday, Nov. 5, to open impeachment proceedings against President Santiago Peña. All 78 lawmakers present supported the measure.
The request now goes to the Senate, where a two-thirds vote is required to approve or reject the impeachment, according to the process described in the report. The House advanced the measure even after Peña submitted a request to resign from office.
Lawmakers chose not to pursue impeachment proceedings against Vice President Pedro Alianna. If Peña is removed from office, Alianna would assume the presidency. The last Paraguayan president to be impeached was Fernando Lugo, who was removed from office in 2012.
A group of 35 lawmakers filed the impeachment request following a banking crisis and the dissolution of Banco Ueno, described as Paraguay’s largest digital bank. Peña had been a shareholder in Ueno Holding, the bank’s controlling group, until 2025. Banco Ueno also held Paraguayan public funds, including social security resources, a matter that contributed to political pressure on the president.
The lawmakers behind the impeachment request accuse Peña of changing laws and allowing a large concentration of guarantees from the Social Security Institute, known by its Spanish initials IPS, to be held at Banco Ueno. These are allegations made by the lawmakers and have not been presented in the report as established findings.
Paraguay’s Central Bank dissolved Banco Ueno on Tuesday, Nov. 3, after the institution’s solvency level fell to less than half the required threshold. The bank is under investigation, and eight executives have been arrested. Paraguay’s Public Prosecutor’s Office accuses the bank of manipulating its financial position and alleges a contract scheme involving companies linked to the bank’s controlling shareholders.
