Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies is scheduled to consider a bill raising the maximum penalty for false reports about acts considered crimes from five to six years and providing for economic compensation.
Cámara de Diputados de Paraguay
The Cámara de Diputados is the Chamber of Deputies, one of the two houses of Paraguay’s Congress. Bills, budget matters, oversight motions and political procedures can begin there and may be amended, approved or rejected, but a vote in the chamber is not automatically a decision by Congress as a whole. This dossier follows Pytagua coverage of votes, committees, legislative procedures and disputes with the Senate or Executive, with attention to which procedural step actually produces a legal effect.
Deputy Johanna Ortega alleged in the Chamber of Deputies that CEMUPE may be collecting bribes, issuing charges without tax receipts and failing to trace funds after visiting the site with a public notary. She also questioned rents for rooms occupied for more than 10 years, contracts that cannot be extended, payments to instructors selected by partner private companies and an earlier allegation of parallel collections at the Directorate of Consumer Protection.
The opening of the Integration Bridge is advancing in stages, while about 7,500 trucks have already traveled through the corridor and the Paraguayan access route to the International Friendship Bridge has potholes along approximately four kilometers of Ruta PY02.
Deputy Yamil Esgaib, elected in Asunción, has proposed licenses, paid registration — equivalent to the daily minimum wage — and rules for owning and taking potentially dangerous dogs out in Paraguay, covering more than 20 breeds and fines of up to 100 minimum wages.
Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies left the IPS emergency bill off its agenda despite a priority motion, as a crisis within Honor Colorado — led by Horacio Cartes, who confirmed the Pedro Alliana–Juan Carlos Baruja ticket — surrounds a proposal that could increase the exposure of the institution’s funds to Ueno Bank.
The Chamber of Deputies is examining transfers of about G. 2.1 billion to the Santa Rita Local Health Council and a G. 1.1 billion budget increase amid suspicions of electoral use and a lack of financial reporting, with no irregularities proven so far.
Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies approved a bill by Yamil Esgaib amending the Penal Code and providing for sentences of up to 15 years for officials who facilitate the escape of people deprived of their liberty, sending the text to the Senate.
Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies will consider on September 15 bills to unblock compensation for children of victims of Alfredo Stroessner’s dictatorship and restore symbols associated with the regime, as well as proposals on sports inclusion for neurodivergent people and increased penalties for facilitating prisoners’ escapes.
Sedeco has requested a full veto of a law requiring creditors to return paid promissory notes and providing for a fine equal to 20% of the document’s value, arguing that the measure improperly expands its authority to cover disputes between private parties; while the Executive makes its decision, the current rules remain in force.
The Senate approved changes that would broaden the possibility of removing and auctioning abandoned vehicles in Paraguay after six months without a claim, but the bill returned to the Chamber of Deputies and is not yet in force.
The Chamber of Deputies declared the protection of Médanos del Chaco National Park a matter of national interest, while a proposal to allow the exploration of possible hydrocarbons in the area remains under consideration, opposed by the MADES environment ministry and the Paraguayan Indigenous Institute.
The Senate approved changes to a bill that would provide for up to six years in prison and financial compensation for false accusations, sending it back to the Chamber of Deputies as critics warn that it could discourage legitimate complaints.
Raúl Latorre said Hernán Rivas presented himself as a lawyer to represent the Chamber of Deputies on the JEM. Hugo Estigarribia said a final conviction could prompt an examination of decisions if Rivas’s vote was decisive.
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.
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.
Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies approved a World Bank-linked USD 1 million grant for preparatory studies for Itapúa’s logistics infrastructure and transport project. Separately, it is considering a request to question MOPC Minister Claudia Centurión after the Pedrozo crash that killed six people, but the initiative is likely to be rejected by the majority.
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.
Rocío Vallejo submitted a draft resolution requesting that the MOPC provide information on the background, tenders, progress, costs, financing, possible obstacles and timeline of the Tren de Cercanías, a project relevant to metropolitan mobility and regional connectivity. The text will still be reviewed by Chamber of Deputies committees.
PLRA deputies held a service day in Córdoba for Paraguayans and proposed integrating the identity and voter-registration systems after the local consulate closed in 2024 for budgetary reasons.
A bill introduced in Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies proposes an integrated policy to research, preserve, teach and disseminate information about Acosta Ñu and the Campaign of the Cordilleras. The measures remain proposals subject to legislative review; the text would also bring together dispersed legal and institutional instruments and create an ad honorem technical committee.
The Senate is reviewing an agreement that could allow Paraguayans and Qataris to enter, transit through and stay in each other’s territory for up to 90 days without visas or fees, subject to approval by both houses of Congress, as the government expands its economic and trade agenda with the business sector.
Paraguay's Senate approved National Evangelical Church Day for the last Sunday of October, without creating a public holiday or requiring the date to be added to the school calendar. IELPA and IERP challenge the name and historical rationale; the bill will still be reviewed by the Chamber of Deputies.
The ANDE Workers Union (Sitrande) suspended its protest after Paraguay's Chamber of Deputies postponed the vote on the bill creating the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Hydrocarbons and announced a broad dialogue table with participation from the state utility, government, and lawmakers.
Paraguay's Chamber of Deputies is debating a request to summon the Minister of Public Works over the state of highways, prompted by a fatal accident, while expecting to approve a new $1 million credit for her ministry.