The deadline for applications for the position of Paraguay's Ombudsman ends on Monday, August 10. The process, conducted by the Senate, aims to select the successor of Rafael Ávila, whose term expires on November 10. So far, 22 people have applied, also competing for the position of deputy ombudsman.
After applications close, the procedure includes public hearings and an evaluation phase to form a shortlist of three candidates. The final appointment will be made by the Chamber of Deputies, which must choose the appointee by a two-thirds majority. The term is five years, with the possibility of reelection, and candidates must meet the same requirements as those to be a national deputy.
Human rights experts, however, describe an institution going through a crisis of insignificance, historically marked by political-party quota allocation. Dante Leguizamón, of the Coordinadora de Derechos Humanos del Paraguay, stated that none of the previous administrations—of Manuel Páez Monges, Miguel Godoy, and Rafael Ávila—were satisfactory, criticizing the lack of building a solid institution and the influence of internal political operators.
Expert Diana Vargas, current director of an investigative commission in the Senate, was more forceful, classifying the Ombudsman's performance as "insignificant for the lives of those who reside in this country." She highlighted that, in a state with deficient public services, the institution has not become an effective channel for citizen complaints. Vargas considered Godoy's administration the worst of all but also expressed dissatisfaction with Ávila's performance in recent cases.
Óscar Ayala Amarilla, of the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture, emphasized the crucial importance of the Ombudsman and warned that the person leading it must have integrity, trajectory, and commitment, prepared to face tensions with political and economic power. He agreed that past appointments were the result of party agreements, which resulted in poor performance, and argued that the next appointment must escape any type of political quota allocation.
The selection process faced new criticism with the revelation that the current deputy ombudsman, Natalia Sosa Flores, who seeks the top position or reappointment to her current role, maintains active affiliation with the Colorado Party (ANR). Opposition senators, such as Rubén Velázquez (Yo Creo) and Eduardo Nakayama (PLRA), denounced that this practice violates the Organic Law of the Ombudsman, which requires the suspension of party affiliation during the term of office.
Nakayama described the situation as a "remnant of Stronism," referring to practices from the authoritarian regime of Alfredo Stroessner. The lawmakers also recalled statements by President Santiago Peña, who during the electoral campaign encouraged party affiliation as a path to enter public service, questioning whether integrity was being overlooked in favor of political loyalty.