The Senate and Congress president ties his tenure to Colorado Party results in ten districts of Presidente Hayes in the October 4 municipal elections. He also responded to rumors of an attempt to remove him.
Senado de Paraguay
The Senado is the upper house of Paraguay’s Congress and shares responsibility with the Chamber of Deputies for much of the legislative process. It also has distinct constitutional functions in specified appointments, international agreements and political procedures. That makes it important to distinguish a Senate decision from a measure that has completed the full legislative route. This dossier gathers Pytagua coverage of votes, committees, appointments, vetoes and the Senate’s interaction with the lower house and the Executive.
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.
Benigno López says bank secrecy protects customers but should not prevent the Senate from learning about ueno bank’s capital, liquidity and risks. Citing Law 7066/2023, the Constitution, the public-information access law and financial disclosure requirements, he supports withholding customers’ identifying details. He says an accounting exception after Visión Banco was absorbed two years ago was intended to avert a public loss of about US$300 million, while depositors—less-informed creditors despite coverage from the Deposit Guarantee Fund—need to know the bank’s assets and exposure.
Defense attorney Guillermo Gayoso, who initially publicized an assault account, retracted his statements and attributed former governor Hugo Javier González's claims to delirious states. Meanwhile, the Public Prosecutor's Office maintains its primary hypothesis that injuries resulted from a fall at La Esperanza Industrial Prison, while the Chamber of Deputies requests state protection for the detainee.
Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies did not reach the bill restricting mobile phones and other portable electronic devices in schools on Tuesday after the session lost its quorum. The statutory deadline now expires on Friday, September 25. The Senate version is then expected to receive automatic congressional approval and proceed to the Executive. That does not mean the restrictions are already in force.
Roberto González (ANR) threatened to seek the impeachment of BCP President Carlos Carvallo Spalding, also spelled Carlos Cavallo Spalding, unless questions about Ueno, the custody of public funds and possible conflicts of interest are clarified. He also challenged the “neopeñistas” to defend the government of Santiago Peña’s actions.
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.
Paraguay’s Senate launched the Mi Senado app to follow sessions and bills, consult parliamentary information and take part in non-binding consultative votes, following digital-interaction models used by regional parliaments such as Colombia’s.
Paraguay’s proposed 2027 budget projects a fiscal deficit of 3.9% of GDP, partly concentrated in the payment of overdue debts. Former minister Benigno López criticized it for doing little to expand public-service capacity while putting pressure on investment.
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 Paraguayan Senate postponed, for lack of a quorum, a vote on an independent audit of voting machines ahead of the October 4 municipal elections after governing-party senators left the chamber; the request arose from possible inconsistencies in election records, with no fraud yet proven.
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 Senate postponed until next week a vote on a bill changing the Agrarian Statute and Indert rules, as Indigenous and peasant organizations protest possible sales of public land to people who are not eligible beneficiaries, land concentration and reduced funding for agrarian reform.
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 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.
Paraguay’s draft 2027 National General Budget provides $76.5 million to subsidize public transport in Asunción and the metropolitan area, with coverage linked to public borrowing and, according to local reports, bond issuance. Lawmakers question the increase amid continuing service problems.
According to the organizers, the 3rd Taiwan–Paraguay Technology Forum, scheduled for September 11 and 12 at the Central Bank of Paraguay in Asunción, will bring together experts to discuss applications of artificial intelligence in areas including industry, agriculture, health, energy, logistics, finance, cybersecurity and digital government, with free admission upon prior registration.
A bill by senators José Oviedo and Rubén Velázquez proposes establishing the second Sunday of September as National Sopa Paraguaya Day to promote and preserve the dish, but the date still depends on congressional consideration and approval.
Paraguay’s 2027 General National Budget bill projects a fiscal deficit of 3.9% of GDP, spending of G. 166.3 trillion and increased funding for social programs, including 30,000 new beneficiaries of the elderly pension.
Victims of the “Mafia de los Pagarés” called for impeachment proceedings against Paraguayan Supreme Court justices, alleging irregularities and a lack of progress on the constitutional mechanism because of alleged complicity between Parliament and the judiciary.
Paraguay’s public debt rose 15% in 12 months to reach US$21.947 billion in the first half of 2026, equivalent to 34.4% of GDP, as the government prepares a plan to reduce the deficit to 1.5% by 2028.
Senator Líder Amarilla criticized Santiago Peña’s government for prioritizing major sporting events and ironically suggested a world horse race, citing problems in hospitals, public safety and highways.
Paraguayan Senator Colym Soroka has proposed capping private charges on soybean seed patents, requiring contract transparency and allocating 2% of royalties to public research and rural road maintenance in a bill that still must be debated and voted on by the Senate.