MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Peña says he will face his impeachment trial as Argentina denies he has entered the country

“We have no record of him being in Argentina.” Javier Milei’s government, a political ally of Peña, has not commented on the Paraguayan crisis.

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña announced on Thursday night that he will appear before the Senate to defend himself in the impeachment trial against him, after Congress failed for lack of a quorum to consider the resignation he had tendered hours earlier, leaving him formally in office. Argentina’s government, meanwhile, denied any record of Peña entering Argentina, following reports that he might have left Paraguay.

“Given the continuation of the impeachment trial, I will appear and exercise my right to a defence,” Peña said in a message released after the joint session of Congress called to accept or reject his resignation was suspended. The session lost its quorum when deputies of the ruling Colorado Party walked out. The Senate called an extraordinary session on Thursday night to set the impeachment trial in motion, on grounds of “poor performance of his duties”, and another on Friday morning to begin proceedings in the president’s presence, according to the Paraguayan press. The Chamber of Deputies had approved the charges by 78 votes to none. A two-thirds Senate majority is needed to remove him.

Uncertainty over Peña’s whereabouts persisted through the afternoon. Presidential spokesman Guillermo Grance acknowledged he did not know where the president was, according to ABC Color, and the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Colorado Party member Raúl Latorre, also admitted not knowing. “While we debate, the media are saying that President Santiago Peña has already set foot on Argentine soil,” opposition deputy Johana Ortega said during the session. In Buenos Aires, official sources quoted by La Nación ruled it out: “We have no record of him being in Argentina.” Javier Milei’s government, a political ally of Peña, has not commented on the Paraguayan crisis.

The reports recalled the departure of former Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, who on October 27 crossed into the Argentine city of Puerto Iguazú and flew from there to Miami after refusing to accept his defeat by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The dispute between resignation and impeachment has legal consequences. If Congress accepts the resignation, Peña would take a lifetime Senate seat with parliamentary immunity; if the Senate removes him, he would lose that protection. The opposition and much of the ruling party, including Colorado Party leader and former President Horacio Cartes, back the impeachment. According to the press, prosecutors have announced they are opening proceedings against Peña, although no formal charges have yet been brought.

The crisis erupted on Tuesday with the takeover of Ueno Bank, which froze the deposits of nearly three million customers and hundreds of millions of dollars of public funds. If Peña leaves office, Vice President Pedro Alliana will take over the presidency until August 15, 2028.