Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies voted unanimously to begin impeachment proceedings against President Santiago Peña, with all 78 lawmakers present supporting the measure. (Foto: Instagram)
Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies voted unanimously on Thursday, Nov. 5, to open impeachment proceedings against President Santiago Peña. All 78 lawmakers present voted to advance the case.
The request is expected to go to the Senate, where a two-thirds vote is required to decide whether to approve or reject the impeachment. The lower house approved the proceedings even after Peña submitted a request to resign from office.
Lawmakers did not open impeachment proceedings against Vice President Pedro Alianna. If Peña is removed from office, Alianna would take over as president. The last Paraguayan president to be impeached was Fernando Lugo, who was removed from office in 2012.
A group of 35 deputies filed the impeachment request amid a banking crisis following the dissolution of Banco Ueno, described as Paraguay’s largest digital bank. The bank’s closure has put Peña under particular scrutiny because he was a shareholder in Ueno Holding, the group that controlled the bank, until 2025. Banco Ueno also held Paraguayan public funds, including social security funds.
The lawmakers who filed the request accuse Peña of changing laws and allowing a large concentration of Social Security Institute (IPS) funds to be held at Banco Ueno as guarantees. These are allegations made by the deputies seeking impeachment.
Paraguay’s central bank dissolved Ueno on Tuesday, Nov. 3, after its solvency level fell to less than half of the required amount. The bank is under investigation, and eight executives have been arrested. The Paraguayan Public Prosecutor’s Office accuses Ueno of manipulating its financial position and of an alleged contract scheme involving companies linked to the bank’s controllers.
