Asociación Nacional Republicana

A teachers’ strike scheduled for September 17 and 18 in Paraguay challenges the 2027 budget bill, which excludes agreed raises and demands, while senators Blanca Ovelar and Celeste Amarilla disagree over the causes of the education crisis, the results of the 2025 PISA assessment given to 6,507 students, the Ñe’ẽry program, which received US$12 million in 2023, and criticism of teacher training and meritocracy; Amarilla also fears a return of banking crises and mentions Banco Atlas and Ueno, a Paraguayan digital bank.

Santiago Peña said there is no break with Horacio Cartes, attributed criticism to the municipal elections, defended clarifications over a request for information from the Central Bank involving Ueno Bank, and called for continued dialogue with doctors threatening a strike on September 21 and 22.

Yo Creo leaders accused the Public Prosecutor’s Office of trying to keep Miguel Prieto out of the 2028 presidential race through a criminal case investigating payments of more than G. 11.2 billion for works linked to the Hospital of Ciudad del Este. The case, which also involves lawmaker Walter García, has not produced public evidence of political coordination.

Pablo Callizo and Sebastián Garay were taken to a police station and released about two hours later after taking part in a teddy-bear protest outside Horacio Cartes’s home in Asunción. The episode drew criticism from opponents and sparked debate over the limits of police action during public demonstrations.

Paraguay’s Congress has begun reviewing the 2027 General National Budget, estimated at G. 166.3 trillion and listing health care among its priorities, while the Senate prepares requests for information from the Central Bank about Ueno Bank and lawmakers negotiate doctors’ salary demands.

Soledad Núñez presented five strategies to reorganize Asunción City Hall, focusing on fighting corruption, cleanliness, urban planning, recovering municipal spaces and assets, professionalizing employees and balancing the finances, with the capital’s 500th anniversary as the target.

Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies completed only eight of the year’s 41 sessions because of a lack of quorum, leaving bills unvoted, and is preparing changes to its rules to enforce pay deductions and penalize absent lawmakers.

Rumors of possible impeachment proceedings against Supreme Court justices are dividing Paraguay’s Colorado Party, although no formal proposal exists. Senator Derlis Maidana said Santiago Peña denied any government initiative, while Mario Varela acknowledged discussions that could involve Liberal senators, Juan Bartolomé Ramírez and a possible political move after the municipal elections.

Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies is preparing changes to its internal rules to enforce deductions of G. 300,000 for tardiness and G. 600,000 for unjustified absences, review attendance monitoring and limit flexible justifications after repeated quorum problems.

Santiago Peña reaffirmed that he will not raise taxes as the government reviews tax exemptions estimated at about US$1 billion and faces demands from doctors for higher pay and protests over health services.

Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies reelected Camilo Benítez with 64 votes and elected Armindo Torres to the leadership of the Comptroller General’s Office, the constitutional body that oversees public resources, assets, budgets, and the State’s economic and financial activities. The opposition criticized the placement of Colorado Party members in both top posts, while Camilo Pérez leads election surveys with incomplete available methodology.

A doctors’ strike in Paraguay enters its fifth day with 39 pediatric surgeons threatening to resign from Monday, while the government proposes a phased 76% increase over 14 months and lawmakers disagree over funding sources.

Guairá Governor César Sosa denies a presidential pre-candidacy and prioritizes municipal elections, while the opposition, led by Senator Yolanda Paredes, crafts a strategy for 2028 focused on unity and fighting corruption.

Former minister Arnoldo Wiens rejected judge Humberto Otazú to halt the criminal proceedings in the Metrobús case, in which he is accused of causing a loss of 15 billion guaranis to the state, while the Public Prosecutor's Office requested the dismissal of the case against his predecessor, Ramón Jiménez Gaona.

Paraguayan governor Ricardo Estigarribia has formalized his pre-candidacy for the 2028 presidency under the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA), advocating for opposition unity, while reports question his administration, citing alleged irregularities in public tenders and his economic rise after taking public office.

Asunción celebrated its 489th anniversary with traditional festivities and a civic-military parade, while the electoral scene for the mayoralty and statements from authorities on security and municipal finances formed the backdrop of the celebrations.

A bill redirecting 500 billion guaranis from spending considered superfluous to purchase medicines is stalled in the Paraguayan Senate due to lack of opinion from the Finance Committee, which did not meet, revealing an internal division within the ruling party.

Paraguay's Chamber of Deputies recorded that 84% of its sessions were interrupted due to lack of quorum, despite the high salaries and privileged retirement regime of the parliamentarians.

The selection process for Paraguay's new Ombudsman, which closes applications on Monday, is under strong criticism from experts and the opposition, who point to a history of partisan influence, the institution's insignificant performance, and an incumbent candidate accused of maintaining political affiliation prohibited by law.

While Senator Lilian Samaniego projects her candidacy for President of Paraguay for 2028, factions of the Colorado Party are proposing former President Horacio Cartes as a Senate candidate for the party.

Deputies and representatives of agencies, including the Superior Court of Electoral Justice, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies, the Secretariat for Development for Repatriated and Refugee Compatriots, the Paraguayan Migration Coordination, and the Migrant Women's Network, will meet on August 10 to evaluate the implementation of the automatic registration law in the Permanent Civic Registry for Paraguayans abroad.

Twenty-five organizations launched the Network for the Right to the City to transform Asunción, which faces historical neglect of plazas, loss of green areas, flooding, and an inefficient transportation system, also denouncing a technical, financial, and moral crisis in the municipality.

The crisis in the Caapucú Municipal Council escalated with opposition councilors being locked in the chamber and targeted with pepper spray to prevent a session that would approve the resignation of Mayor Gustavo Penayo, who is trying to invalidate his own request after realizing his successor would not be an ally.

The Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA) withdrew its candidacy in Ciudad del Este to unite the opposition around Daniel Pereira Mujica, while the Colorado Party intensifies its campaign in the Central Department for the October municipal elections.