The director-general of the Civil Registry, Maxi Ayala, clarified that Paraguayan law allows a child to use the mother's surname first, provided there is consensus between the parents at the time of registration. Without agreement, the father's surname prevails. The information was released after growing public debate and a recent case in Hernandarias, where the courts authorized a young man to drop his father's surname due to abandonment.
Maxi Ayala
Director general del Registro del Estado Civil de Paraguay.