Politics of Paraguay

Last updated

Politics of Paraguay takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic. The National Constitution mandates a separation of powers in three branches. Executive power is exercised solely by the President. Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of the National Congress. The Judiciary power is vested on Tribunals and Courts of Civil Law and a nine-member Supreme Court of Justice, all of them independent of the executive and the legislature.

Contents

The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Paraguay a " hybrid regime " in 2022. [1]

Executive branch

Main office-holders
OfficeNamePartySince
President Santiago Peña Colorado Party 15 August 2023
Palacio de los Lopez PalacioLopez.jpg
Palacio de los López

The president, popularly elected for a 5-year term, appoints a cabinet. The president nominates the Council of Ministers. The presidential elections of 2008 were won by Fernando Lugo, a Roman Catholic bishop whose ministerial duties have been suspended on his request by the Holy See. It was the first time in 61 years that the Colorado Party lost a presidential election in Paraguay, and only a second time that a leftist will serve as president (first time was in 1936–37) and first time freely elected.

In May 2023, Santiago Peña of the long-ruling Colorado Party, won the presidential election to succeed Mario Abdo as the next President of Paraguay. [2] On 15 August 2023, Santiago Peña was sworn in as Paraguay's new president. [3]


The workplace of the President of Paraguay is the Palacio de los López, in Asunción. The Presidential Residence is Mburuvichá Roga, also in Asunción.

Once presidents leave office, they are granted by the Constitution the speaking-but-non-voting position of Senator for life.


Office of the First Lady

In Paraguay, the post of the First Lady of Paraguay is official.[ citation needed ]

Legislative branch

Congress of Paraguay Palacio legislativo en Asuncion.jpg
Congress of Paraguay

The National Congress (Congreso Nacional) has two chambers. The Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) has 80 members, elected for a five-year term by proportional representation. The Chamber of Senators (Cámara de Senadores) has 45 members, elected for a five-year term by proportional representation.

Political parties and elections

Latest elections

President

CandidatePartyVotes%
Mario Abdo Benítez Colorado Party 1,206,06748.96
Efraín Alegre Great Renewed National Alliance 1,110,46445.08
Juan Bautista YbáñezParaguay Green Party84,0453.41
Jaro AnzoáteguiNational Artists' Movement15,4900.63
Atanasio GaleanoPopular Patriotic Movement Party9,9080.40
Ramón Ernesto BenítezPatriotic Reserve Movement9,3610.38
Pedro AlmadaBroad Front Party8,5900.35
Efraín EnríquezNational Sovereign Movement7,2910.30
Celino FerreiraMovimiento Civico Nacional Unamonos6,2950.26
Justo Germán OrtegaHeirs Democratic Socialist Party5,9300.24
Total2,463,441100.00
Valid votes2,463,44194.82
Invalid votes71,9242.77
Blank votes62,6242.41
Total votes2,597,989100.00
Registered voters/turnout4,241,50761.25
Source: TSJE

Senate

SenatePY2018.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Colorado Party 766,84132.5217–2
Authentic Radical Liberal Party 570,20524.18130
Guasú Front 279,00811.836+1
Beloved Fatherland Party 159,6256.773+3
Hagamos Party 105,3754.472New
Progressive Democratic Party 86,2163.662–1
National Crusade Movement 58,4092.481New
National Union of Ethical Citizens 49,8892.121–1
Green Party37,8121.6000
We are Paraguay34,6231.470New
National Encounter Party 30,3651.290–1
Plurinational Indigenous Political Movement25,7851.090New
Christian Democratic Party 16,6190.700New
Secure Paraguay15,0050.640New
Party of the Movement for Socialism14,7730.630New
Patriotic Reserve Movement14,3970.610New
Revolutionary Febrerista Party 14,3320.6100
Kuña Pyrenda Movement9,7950.4200
Civic Compromise9,5420.400New
Concertación Nacional Avancemos País9,4780.400New
Party of the A8,9340.380New
All for Paraguay United Movement7,2690.310New
National Artists' Movement6,7750.290New
Us5,9480.250New
Heirs Democratic Socialist Party5,2750.220New
National Political Sovereignty Movement5,0650.210New
Movimiento Civico Nacional Unamonos5,0400.210New
Broad Front Party3,4030.140New
Union and Equality Political Movement2,5000.110New
Total2,358,303100.00450
Valid votes2,358,30391.11
Invalid votes92,7163.58
Blank votes137,2775.30
Total votes2,588,296100.00
Registered voters/turnout4,241,50761.02
Source: TSJE

Chamber of Deputies

Composicion de la Camara de Diputados.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Colorado Party 927,18339.1042–2
Authentic Radical Liberal Party 420,82117.7417
Great Renewed National Alliance 286,51312.0813
Beloved Fatherland Party 105,7654.463+2
Hagamos Party 75,6013.192New
National Encounter Party 75,5143.1820
National Union of Ethical Citizens 65,5932.770–2
Guasú Front 42,8911.810–1
Green Party42,0531.7700
National Crusade Movement 33,4171.411New
Progressive Democratic Party 27,9321.1800
Christian Democratic Party 26,7831.130New
Civic Compromise21,6510.910New
Broad Front Party20,5940.870New
We are Paraguay18,0600.760New
Concertación Nacional Avancemos País16,0700.680New
Revolutionary Febrerista Party 15,1690.640New
National Artists' Movement11,7270.490New
Youth Party10,8710.4600
Us10,8160.460New
Secure Paraguay9,6510.410New
Patriotic Reserve Movement9,6480.410New
Civic Participation Party9,5670.400New
Party of the A9,0430.380New
Heirs Democratic Socialist Party8,8320.370New
Itapua for All Alliance8,6830.370New
Plurinational Indigenous Political Movement8,0940.340New
Movimiento Civico Nacional Unamonos7,2410.310New
Party of the Movement for Socialism6,2070.260New
All for Paraguay United Movement5,8710.250New
Ganar Alliance5,4760.230
Party of the Patriotic Popular Movement5,1470.220New
National Political Sovereignty Movement4,4570.190New
Let's Continue Building Alliance4,1830.180New
Union and Equality Political Movement3,7750.160New
Itapuense Front Alliance3,0360.130New
Concertación por Vos2,4070.100New
Party of Popular Unity1,3290.060New
Tekojoja People's Movement 1,0460.040New
Movimiento Politico Civico Nacional Unamonos9490.040New
All for Ñeembucu7720.030New
Mbarete Independent Political Movement5950.030New
Teete Patriotic Front Party5740.020New
Total2,371,607100.00800
Valid votes2,371,60791.84
Invalid votes78,4573.04
Blank votes132,2965.12
Total votes2,582,360100.00
Registered voters/turnout4,241,50760.88
Source: TSJE

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Paraguay Palacio de Justicia Paraguay by Felipe Mendez.jpg
Supreme Court of Paraguay

Paraguay's highest court is the Supreme Court of Paraguay.

Administrative divisions

The Constitution of Paraguay states "The law will regulate the various areas in which these officials and employees can provide their services, including the judicial, the diplomatic and consular professions, the areas of scientific and technological research, civil services, military and police. This will not preclude others. " Each of Paraguay's 17 departments is headed by a popularly elected governor. Paraguay is divided in 17 departments (departamentos, singular – departamento) and one capital city; Alto Paraguay, Alto Paraná, Amambay, Asunción (city), Boquerón, Caaguazú, Caazapá, Canindeyú, Central, Concepción, Cordillera, Guairá, Itapúa, Misiones, Ñeembucú, Paraguarí, Presidente Hayes, San Pedro.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Cape Verde</span> Political system of Cape Verde

Politics of Cape Verde takes place in a framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Cape Verde is the head of government and the President of the Republic of Cape Verde is the head of state, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the president and the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The constitution, first approved in 1980 and substantially revised in 1992, forms the basis of government organization. It declares that the government is the "organ that defines, leads, and executes the general internal and external policy of the country" and is responsible to the National Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Chile</span> Political system of Chile

Chile's government is a representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Chile is both head of state and head of government, and of a formal multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the president and by their cabinet. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the National Congress. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature of Chile.

The politics of Colombia take place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Colombia is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is carried out by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives of Colombia. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of El Salvador</span> Political system of El Salvador

Politics of El Salvador takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of El Salvador is both head of state and head of government, and of an executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Legislative Assembly. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The Economist Intelligence Unit rated El Salvador a "hybrid regime" in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Uruguay</span> Political system of Uruguay

The politics of Uruguay abide by a presidential representative democratic republic, under which the president of Uruguay is both the head of state and the head of government, as well as a multiform party system. The president exercises executive power and legislative power and is vested in the two chambers of the General Assembly of Uruguay. The Judiciary is independent from the executive and legislature.

The government of Argentina, within the framework of a federal system, is a presidential representative democratic republic. The President of Argentina is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the President. Legislative power is vested in the National Congress. The Judiciary is independent from the Executive and from the Legislature, and is vested in the Supreme Court and the lower national tribunals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of the Dominican Republic</span>

The Dominican Republic is a representative democracy, where the President of the Dominican Republic functions as both the head of the government and head of the multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in the bicameral National Congress. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

The Government of Poland takes the form of a unitary parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the President is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government. However, its form of government has also been identified as semi-presidential.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congress of the Union</span> Legislature of Mexico

The Congress of the Union, formally known as the General Congress of the United Mexican States, is the legislature of the federal government of Mexico consisting of two chambers: the Senate of the Republic and the Chamber of Deputies. Its 628 members meet in Mexico City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senate of the Dominican Republic</span> Upper house in the legislature of the Dominican Republic

The Senate of the Dominican Republic is the upper house in the bicameral legislature of the Dominican Republic, and together with the Chamber of Deputies makes up the Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President of Paraguay</span> Head of state and government of Paraguay

The president of Paraguay, officially known as the president of the Republic of Paraguay, is according to the Constitution of Paraguay the head of the executive branch of the government of Paraguay, both head of state and head of government. His honorific title is Su Excelencia. Under the 1992 constitution, the president is limited to a single five-year term. An attempt by the Senate to abolish term limits on 1 April 2017 resulted in protests; it was ultimately rejected.

At the national level, Argentina elects a head of state and a legislature. The franchise extends to all citizens aged 16 and over, and voting is mandatory for all those who are between 18 and 70 years of age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Brazil</span> Elections

Brazil elects on the national level a head of state—the president—and a legislature. The president is elected to a four-year term by absolute majority vote through a two-round system. The National Congress has two chambers. The Chamber of Deputies has 513 members, elected to a four-year term by proportional representation. The Federal Senate has 81 members, elected to an eight-year term, with elections every four years for alternatively one-third and two-thirds of the seats. Brazil has a multi-party system, with such numerous parties that often no one party has a chance of gaining power alone, and so they must work with each other to form coalition governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Paraguay</span> Information on election and its results in Paraguay

Paraguay elects on the national level a head of state — the president — and a legislature. The president of Paraguay is elected for a five-year term by the people. The National Congress has two chambers. The Chamber of Deputies has 80 members, elected for a five-year term by proportional representation. The Chamber of Senators has 45 members, elected for a five-year term by proportional representation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of the Philippines</span> National government of the Philippines

The government of the Philippines has three interdependent branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The Philippines is governed as a unitary state under a presidential representative and democratic constitutional republic in which the president functions as both the head of state and the head of government of the country within a pluriform multi-party system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal government of Mexico</span> National government of the United Mexican States

The Federal Government of Mexico is the national government of the United Mexican States, the central government established by its constitution to share sovereignty over the republic with the governments of the 31 individual Mexican states, and to represent such governments before international bodies such as the United Nations. The Mexican federal government has three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial and functions per the Constitution of the United Mexican States, as enacted in 1917, and as amended. The executive power is exercised by the executive branch, which is headed by the president and his Cabinet, which, together, are independent of the legislature. Legislative power is vested upon the Congress of the Union, a bicameral legislature comprising the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. Judicial power is exercised by the judiciary, consisting of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, the Council of the Federal Judiciary, and the collegiate, unitary, and district courts.

The Federal Government of Brazil is the national government of the Federative Republic of Brazil, a republic in South America divided into 26 states and a federal district. The Brazilian federal government is divided into three branches: the executive, which is headed by the President and the cabinet; the legislative, whose powers are vested by the Constitution in the National Congress; and the judiciary, whose powers are vested in nine organs, including the Supreme Federal Court and lower federal courts. The seat of the federal government is located in Brasília.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santiago Peña</span> President of Paraguay since 2023

Santiago Peña Palacios is a Paraguayan politician and economist who is the 52nd and current president of Paraguay since 2023. In addition to his political career, Peña has served on leadership boards for the Central Bank of Paraguay and Banco Amambay. He has also taught economics at the Catholic University of Asunción, and has published research papers on monetary policy and finance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Paraguayan general election</span>

General elections were held in Paraguay on 30 April 2023 to elect the president, vice president, National Congress, and departmental governors. The incumbent president Mario Abdo Benítez and vice president Hugo Velázquez Moreno, both of the Colorado Party, were ineligible for re-election.

Events pertaining to world affairs in 2023, national politics, public policy, government, world economics, and international business, that took place in various nation s, regions, organizations, around the world in 2023.

References

  1. "Democracy Index 2022: Frontline democracy and the battle for Ukraine" (PDF). Economist Intelligence Unit . 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  2. "Amid protests, authorities uphold legitimacy of Paraguay election". www.aljazeera.com.
  3. Desantis, Daniela; Elliott, Lucinda; Elliott, Lucinda (16 August 2023). "Paraguay's President Pena sworn in, Taiwan VP in attendance". Reuters.