In less than a year, four Paraguayan senators linked to Cartismo left their seats, victims of popular, media, and opposition pressure that managed to breach the traditional political shield of the Upper House. Norma Aquino, Javier “Chaqueñito” Vera, Hernán Rivas, and Erico Galeano were expelled or resigned after scandals ranging from alleged bribes and influence peddling to a money laundering conviction.
Norma Aquino, known as “Yamy Nal,” was the first to fall. In September 2025, the Senate unanimously approved her expulsion for loss of office, after the release of audios in which alleged bribes, political negotiations, and an $8 million donation from Taiwan were mentioned. The senator, who had been elected by the National Crusade Party and later aligned with Cartismo, became the first sign that the parliamentary shield could crack.
The same scandal splashed onto Javier “Chaqueñito” Vera, who initially received only a 60-day suspension without pay. But the crisis worsened when his allocation of an apartment from the government's social housing program came to light, followed by the release of an audio in which he allegedly requested a sexual exchange involving a minor. On March 30, 2026, Vera was unanimously expelled on charges of undue influence.
Hernán Rivas, in turn, faced accusations of using a fake law degree to hold positions in the justice system, such as the Senate's representative on the Jury for the Impeachment of Magistrates. For months, Cartismo protected him, granting him a leave of absence instead of opening a loss-of-office proceeding. But when the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court overturned his dismissal and ordered an oral trial, Rivas resigned the next day. The opposition demanded an investigation into a possible network of fake degrees involving universities and state agencies.
The most serious case was that of Erico Galeano, sentenced to 13 years in prison for money laundering and criminal association in the context of Operation “A Ultranza.” Minutes before the Senate was to vote on his expulsion, Galeano resigned, ending the sequence of falls that exposes the fragility of the political shield system.
Experts and opposition leaders point out that the succession of departures is not accidental, but rather a reflection of a citizenry increasingly less tolerant of privileges and seats held by legislators under suspicion. Cartismo, which until then had maintained cohesion around its members, found itself forced to yield under the combined pressure of public opinion, the press, and legal sectors.