Extraordinary Senate Session to Select New Comptroller and Sub-Comptroller: Will There Be a Takeover?

An extraordinary session of the Senate's Constitutional Affairs Commission is scheduled for tomorrow to advance the process of forming candidate lists for the positions of Comptroller and Sub-Comptroller. The current Comptroller, Camilo Benítez of the ruling ANR party, is widely expected to secure re-election, raising concerns about the ANR potentially gaining complete control over the Contraloría General de la República.

The commission will review candidacies, screen nominees, and hear from aspirants before issuing recommendations to the full Senate. For the Comptroller position, Benítez appears to have a significant advantage. His tenure has been marked by accusations of being functional to the "cartismo" faction, particularly after issuing a favorable property audit to President Santiago Peña, which aided in dismissing a corruption complaint against the president.

The Liberal Radical Authentic Party (PLRA) has instructed its members to withdraw their candidacies for both posts. This move aims to prevent the legitimization of a process perceived as a complete takeover by the ANR. Consequently, the PLRA might lose the Sub-Comptroller position, with Armindo Torres, currently the Director of Sworn Statements at the Contraloría, being strongly considered as a replacement for the incumbent liberal, Augusto Paiva. Torres is also reportedly being considered for his favorable report on Peña's assets.

This situation could mark the first time since the end of the dictatorship and the establishment of the Contraloría that authorities aligned with the ruling party achieve complete dominance over the institution. The final decision on who will form the lists rests with the full Senate, which will then send them to the Chamber of Deputies for the ultimate selection of the Comptroller and Sub-Comptroller for the term beginning November this year until 2031.