There is still no formal proposal for impeachment proceedings — Paraguay’s constitutional process for removing officials — against Supreme Court justices. Even so, rumors about the possible removal of Gustavo Santander Dans, Víctor Ríos and Manuel Ramírez Candia have prompted reactions within the Colorado Party (ANR), which governs the country.
Daniel Centurión, a lawmaker from the dissident Colorado Añetete faction, said his sector would not support any initiative to remove justices and would actively defend judicial independence if the issue were formally presented. He also named Alberto Martínez Simón, Carolina Llanes, Gustavo Santander and Eugenio Jiménez Rolón as justices whose integrity and qualifications he recognizes, without confirming which names are actually at the center of the speculation.
Senator Mario Varela, a Colorado dissident and member of Paraguay’s body for disciplining and judging magistrates, said the issue is circulating in the Legislature and Judiciary, but that there is still no specific basis for initiating impeachment proceedings. In his view, removing justices solely because of judicial decisions or a lack of partisan alignment would open a “Pandora’s box” and could trigger an institutional crisis.
Varela also urged the justices not to let political pressure absorb or neutralize them individually. He used that metaphor to warn that pressure against part of the court could ultimately reach all of it. In his assessment, members of the Court who are not currently under threat should defend institutional independence together because they could be the next targets.
The more specific versions attribute to Honor Colorado, the movement linked to former President Horacio Cartes, an intention to replace the three justices with figures closer to the group. The three participated in the vote that declared Chamber of Senators Resolution No. 431 unconstitutional, which ordered the loss of then-Senator Kattya González’s mandate on February 14, 2024. The sources do not say that they authored the decision or establish individual responsibility beyond their participation in the vote.
There is also speculation about seeking the votes of Liberal senators aligned with Cartes. In that scenario, the possible name of former Liberal senator Juan Bartolomé Ramírez is mentioned for a seat on the Court, with a possible political move after the municipal elections in October. This remains unconfirmed, and the published assessment is that the votes would still not be enough, especially without support from the Colorado dissidents.
Cartes-aligned Senator Derlis Maidana said he had spoken with President Santiago Peña and that the head of the Executive denied any government or governing-party initiative to remove or replace justices. The statement contrasts with Varela’s acknowledgment that rumors exist, although none has become a formal proposal.
One report described an alleged meeting held late last year at Mburuvichá Róga, attended by Peña, Horacio Cartes and Supreme Court justices; the same account says that Ríos, Santander Dans and Ramírez Candia did not attend. The account is alleged and lacks independent confirmation. A separate report recorded only Varela’s reference to a meeting he described as “semi-clandestine,” without independently confirming its participants.
Maidana also backed Camilo Benítez’s reelection as head of the Comptroller General’s Office and the appointment of Armindo Torres as deputy comptroller. Critics questioned concentrating both positions in members of the Colorado Party and pointed to the risk of weakening political oversight of public power. Maidana replied that both meet the requirements and said the main criticism of Benítez was that he is a Colorado member, not his performance in office.
The debate is taking place as the government faces a health crisis marked by doctors’ protests, resignations and a lack of resources in hospitals. Maidana acknowledged the need for a direct meeting between Peña and representatives of doctors’ unions to try to break the deadlock, while also saying that the president is working to organize the party for the municipal elections.