The public endorsement of former President Mario Abdo Benítez for the Colorado Party candidate Camilo Pérez in Asunción, formalizing the party alliance, has generated both internal celebration and strong criticism from party factions, such as from Senator Yamil Esgaib, who called him a "traitor."
Claudia Centurión
Pytagua coverage mentioning Claudia Centurión.
A pothole on the Bioceanic Route in Loma Plata caused a truck to overturn, killed six animals, and reignited questions about the quality of the multi-million dollar project inaugurated in 2022.
Paraguay will tender 300 buses, 40% of them electric, to modernize public transportation in Asunción while keeping fares at 3,400 guaraníes, after already incorporating 90 vehicles, including donations from Taiwan.
The paving of Route PY12 in Paraguay's Chaco region is progressing with additional costs of $50.8 million, exceeding the initial budget, but it promises to improve connectivity and boost economic activities in the area.
The government of Paraguay has added 90 new buses to the metropolitan public transportation system, including 70 electric buses (30 donated by Taiwan and 40 from private investment by Ñandutí S.A.) and 20 combustion-engine buses from Ximex S.A., with private investment exceeding US$11 million, expanding access to approximately 20,000 new passengers without a fare increase.
The Executive Branch enacted Law 7665 to implement the commuter rail system in Asunción, with an investment of US$480 million and construction scheduled to begin in April 2027 in partnership with the United Arab Emirates.
The Budget Committee of Paraguay's Chamber of Deputies issued a favorable opinion on the bill enabling the commuter rail, through a government-to-government (G2G) agreement. The initiative, already approved in the Senate, is considered an absolute priority by President Santiago Peña, according to the President of the Chamber, Raúl Latorre. The plan includes an initial 18 km phase to Luque and future expansion to Ypacaraí, with capacity to transport more than 40,000 people per day.
Deputies from the Colorado Party, both from the dissident faction and the government base, reject the suspension of the internal elections scheduled for June 7. While they support a new audit of the voting machines, provided it is conducted by the Electoral Justice, they criticize calls for postponement and accuse the opposition of trying to disrupt the process.
The Budget Committee of the Chamber of Deputies unanimously approved the legal changes proposed by the Executive to speed up the Commuter Train, which will link Asunción to Luque. Public Works Minister Claudia Centurión stated that construction will begin in the first half of 2027, with engineering and supervision already contracted and a team from the United Arab Emirates working in the country.
President Santiago Peña and Public Works Minister Claudia Centurión inspected the works on Avenida Avelino Martínez in San Lorenzo and defended the structural intervention amid criticism over the high cost, which reaches US$ 6.6 million per kilometer.
The president of the Social Security Institute (IPS), Isaías Fretes, announced an asset audit to map the agency's more than 800 properties. Preliminary estimates indicate that the IPS receives only 20% of the amount due in rents, generating huge losses. The investigation, coordinated by Minister Alberto Cabrera, will also cover the control of medicines and supplies.
The department of Ñeembucú, a stronghold of Vice President Pedro Alliana, remains immune to information requests, with the government bench and Deputy Fabiana Souto, Alliana's wife, systematically rejecting the requests. Opposition member Diosnel Aguilera denounces the existence of a 'chain of command' to block transparency.
President Santiago Peña toured the construction site of Avenida Avelino Martínez in San Lorenzo this Saturday (16) and highlighted that the intervention prioritizes deep drainage and rigid pavement, after 40 years of chronic flooding and deterioration problems.