Pedro Alliana sworn in as Paraguay's president
He replaces Santiago Peña, removed in an impeachment trial, and will serve out the term through 2028. Congress named Antonio Barrios vice president.
Pedro Alliana took the oath as Paraguay's president on Friday at a joint session of Congress, the same day the Senate removed Santiago Peña. Alliana, the vice president, will serve out the 2023-2028 term.
Basilio Núñez, the president of Congress, administered the oath.
Lawmakers then elected Antonio Barrios vice president by a show of hands, with no dissent. Barrios had stepped down from his Senate seat beforehand and was sworn in by Núñez too; Guadalupe Aveiro took the seat.
In his first address, Alliana demanded results from his team: "I don't want anyone lukewarm in this mission, I want results." He promised to make savers affected by the financial collapse whole and said transparency will not be negotiable. He closed on a note of unity: "We will lift Paraguay up together."
He takes over with the country in the middle of the Ueno Bank crisis. Peña submitted his resignation on Nov. 5, the day the lower house was set to vote on impeachment, and the Senate removed him without accepting it. Alliana, a former president of the Chamber of Deputies, also inherits the case still open against his predecessor.
On Saturday, prosecutors charged Peña and asked that he be held in pretrial detention. A guarantees judge will decide.
