Editorial dossier
Senado
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.
Latest relevant coverage
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.
The Banco Atlas–Conmebol case has been stalled since April while the court considers a recusal. The Senate approved a statement expressing concern about the delay and, in a separate vote, requested information from MITIC about the Paraguay Gigante campaign.
The Senate approved a motion to prioritize debate on October 7, after the October 4 municipal elections, on a two-year moratorium on creating private universities and higher institutes. The proposal would allow time to review and strengthen controls and the higher-education regulatory framework.
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.