After impeachment and arrest, Santiago Peña is taken to a military unit in Paraguay

The former president of Paraguay Santiago Peña was arrested this Friday (6), hours after the approval of impeachment in Congress that removed him from office. According to the Paraguayan press, which showed images of police presence in front of Peña's residence, the Colorado Party politician was informed of the order and was to be detained under house arrest until he presented himself to the Prosecutor's Office — according to inspectors told the local press, the time for the presentation would be at 11 am.

At the end of the night, however, the former president was transferred to a military unit, according to the ABC Color newspaper. The reason would be the lack of security in front of Peña's house, where clashes between protesters and police took place.

Four pickup trucks left the residence in the Mbocayaty neighborhood, and the former president was in one of them. On the way out, neighbors threw eggs and shouted insults.

Before that, agents who entered Peña's residence told the Paraguayan press that the former president would be under house arrest as determined by the detention order issued minutes after the impeachment was approved. The detention order also determines the arrest of the former director of the Central Bank, Carlos Carvallo.

Peña's opponents questioned, during the impeachment process, whether Peña was still in the country. Until the action of judicial agents this Friday, which confirmed his presence in Asunción, he had only spoken out on social media.

The presence of police officers in front of Peña's residence was simultaneous with the arrival of his deputy, Pedro Alliana, at the country's Congress for an extraordinary session called for Alliana to take her oath and assume the Presidency. Then, Congressman Antonio Barrios was approved by Congress as the new vice president.

The Senate of Paraguay unanimously approved Peña's impeachment, this Friday (6), at the end of a tense process, marked by clashes and protests at the doors of Congress. After the vote, Peña was immediately removed from office.

With the decision, the conservative leader becomes the third Paraguayan president to leave power early since the end of Alfredo Stroessner's dictatorship (1954-1989). Alliana, whose impeachment request was rejected by Congress on Thursday, assumed the Presidency on Friday night — protesters on the streets outside Congress protest against Alliana's oath on the grounds that he is involved in the scandal that overthrew Peña.

"What I come to promise is concrete: compatriots who are going through a difficult time today as a result of a financial disaster will be fully compensated", said Alliana in a speech to Congress. He, however, did not give details of how he will do this. The now president also promised to quickly send a bill to rationalize state resources.

Peña took office in August 2023, with a mandate until 2028. His coming to power guaranteed more years of hegemony for the Colorado Party, which has governed the country for almost 70 years, since the Stroessner dictatorship. The only interruption was the government of former left-wing bishop Fernando Lugo, also overthrown by impeachment in 2012. The party has dominated the country's political life since 1947.

Peña was represented by his lawyers and did not appear before Congress. His departure caps a turbulent week, marked by the fraud scandal involving Ueno Bank, the country's main digital bank, with 2.9 million customers — the country has around 7 million inhabitants.

The collapse of the financial institution froze the deposits of millions of customers and sparked a wave of protests. Now, Peña loses his immunity and could be criminally prosecuted.