Pedro Alliana takes office as president of Paraguay after impeachment of Santiago Peña

The vice-president of Paraguay, Pedro Alliana, took office as president of the country this Friday (6), after the impeachment of Santiago Peña, amid the political and financial crisis caused by the scandal involving the closure of a bank.

▶️ Context: The country is experiencing a deep political crisis after a scandal involving the failure of the "ueno" bank, which left millions of customers without access to their deposits, came to light.

ueno, which belongs to Grupo Vázquez, closed its doors on Tuesday (3), after the Central Bank began the process of liquidating the institution.

The monetary authority identified an insufficiency of resources to cover the bank's obligations, related to loans granted to companies linked to the institution.

The bank had around 3 million customers and concentrated approximately US$850 million in public deposits, including resources from the Social Security Institute.

Peña, who is also an economist, was a shareholder in the group that owns ueno until March last year.

Earlier, the Paraguayan Senate approved Peña's definitive removal. He was accused of conflict of interest, manipulating rules and embezzling social security resources, among other irregularities.

The accusation also points out that the Paraguayan Central Bank covered up problems at the institution.

Shortly after the impeachment was approved, Alliana was called to take office as president. The ceremony was held at the Paraguayan Congress.

In his inauguration speech, the new president promised that all people who had their deposits frozen in the ueno will receive their money back.

Who is Pedro Alliana

Alliana was born in Pilar, in the department of Ñeembucú, in the southwest of the country, and is 52 years old. He is married and father of four children.

In his youth, he was a member of the Paraguayan basketball team and participated in national basketball tournaments. Graduated in International Relations from San Sebastián University, he worked in commerce before entering public life.

Alliana is a member of the Colorado Party (National Republican Association), the same as Peña and a historically dominant party in Paraguayan politics.

In April of this year, he announced his pre-candidacy for the Presidency of Paraguay in the 2028 elections, with declared support from Peña himself and former president Horacio Cartes.

Alliana's political career includes serving as governor of the department of Ñeembucú, between 2008 and 2012. He was also a deputy for ten years, between 2013 and 2023, and led the Colorado Party bench in the Chamber between 2015 and 2023.