Anti Hernán Rivas Law: Cartismo now has no excuses, says Rocío Vallejo

Paraguayan deputies are scheduled to consider the "Anti Hernán Rivas" law, a legislative initiative designed to prevent individuals without proper qualifications from serving on the Jurado de Enjuiciamiento de Magistrados (JEM), the body that judges judges. The bill is listed as the penultimate item on the agenda for Tuesday's ordinary session.

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Let's see what excuse they invent now.

Deputy Rocío Vallejo of the Patria Querida Party voiced her anticipation regarding the debate, stating, "Let's see what excuse they invent now." She noted that the ruling party's majority and allies recently re-elected deputies Alejandro Aguilera and Diego Candia to the JEM. This action, she argued, removed their primary excuse for not approving the "Anti Hernán Rivas" law, which would apply to the next term.

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Now I believe they no longer have an excuse (to not approve it), why? Because this would already apply to the next term and really this just shows how they move regarding their interests.

The proposed legislation stems from cases involving former senators like Hernán Rivas and exdiputado Orlando Arévalo, who allegedly used fraudulent law degrees to attain positions, including the presidency of the JEM. To mitigate such occurrences, the bill requires candidates to possess not only a law degree but also at least 10 years of proven professional experience as lawyers, judges, prosecutors, or law professors. It also seeks to prohibit the reelection of JEM members.

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Here the representatives really represent political interests and there were strong struggles regarding who would be the head, and in that sense, showing off their political victories in the primaries, that's how it works here.

Vallejo expressed deep disappointment, believing that the ruling party prioritizes political interests over institutional integrity and the JEM's reputation, which has been tarnished by past presidents. She stated, "Here the representatives really represent political interests, and there were strong struggles regarding who would be the head, and in that sense, showing off their political victories in the primaries, that's how it works here." She holds little hope for improvement, stating, "I really don't know, I have zero hope that anything will improve, zero hope that anything will move forward." However, she hopes that if the law passes, it will at least prevent reelections for the next term, allowing for greater pluralism.

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I really don't know, I have zero hope that anything will improve, zero hope that anything will move forward, but well, at least it will remain perhaps (if the law prospers) that for the next term the members will no longer be re-elected and other people will be given an opportunity and that there will be greater pluralism.