The president of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, presented his third annual management report on Wednesday to the Colorado Party, at the Governing Board of the National Republican Association (ANR), chaired by Horacio Cartes. The extraordinary session, convened for 5:30 p.m., was attended by ministers, legislators, governors, and Vice President Pedro Alliana. The sole item on the agenda was Peña's report, which addressed topics such as public health, education, security, prison system reform, public transportation, and the reform of the Fiscal Fund (Caja Fiscal).
This practice of Peña first presenting his report to the ruling party has been in place since the beginning of his term and precedes the mandatory constitutional presentation to Congress, scheduled for July 1. The president of the Colorado Party, Horacio Cartes, who is also Peña's political mentor, received Senator Arnaldo Samaniego, who expressed support for Camilo Pérez's candidacy for the mayoralty of Asunción in the October municipal elections.
However, Peña's decision to prioritize presenting the report to the party drew harsh criticism from the opposition. Senator Celeste Amarilla, of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA), described Peña's government as "mediocre" and criticized the president's subordination to Cartes, stating that it highlights the weakness of the government. Amarilla pointed out failures in institutions such as the Ministry of Education and the persistence of corruption in agencies like the Social Security Institute (IPS).
Senator Yolanda Paredes, from the Cruzada Nacional bench, announced that her group will not participate in the session in Congress on July 1, in protest against Peña first presenting his report to the party before being accountable to the Legislature. Paredes stated that this practice undermines the role of Parliament and reinforces the idea that Peña acts more as a party leader than as head of state.
Senator Rafael Filizzola, of the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), also harshly criticized Peña's stance, stating that it is humiliating for the president to have to be accountable first to Cartes, who holds no public office. For him, this demonstrates that real power lies outside the Palacio de López, and that Peña acts as an "employee" of the former president. Filizzola also denounced alleged irregular dealings involving public funds, such as the use of IPS resources to favor a bank and the acquisition of a television channel by groups linked to the president, which, according to him, constitutes influence peddling and illicit enrichment.
Despite the criticism, the ruling party defends that the report presented highlights advances in social programs such as Hambre Cero and Che Róga Porã, as well as improvements in economic and social indicators, such as poverty reduction and investments in infrastructure. The government seeks with this presentation to reinforce the continuity of its administration and consolidate political support within the Colorado Party in a year marked by electoral disputes and debates about the country's future.