“I never lie”: Peña promised asphalt, but his government has yet to pave a single centimeter in Alto Paraguay

President Santiago Peña says he can face voters because he has fulfilled every campaign commitment. In Alto Paraguay, however, residents are still waiting for the asphalt he has promised five times.

At a recent public event with a strong campaign character, Peña said he had the moral standing to address the public because he had kept all his promises. “I can speak to everyone face to face, because wherever I go I can look each person in the eye. I have never lied to anyone in the 17 departments. Everything I promised, I am fulfilling 100%,” he said.

ABC Color contrasts that claim with the condition of Alto Paraguay's roads. After three years in office, the government has not laid a single centimeter of asphalt in the department. The region's dirt roads become flooded during the rainy season, sometimes leaving communities isolated for months.

Even modest rainfall can turn the poorly maintained routes into dangerous traps. Drivers attempting to travel through the department face long ordeals, and some become stuck without being able to continue. The article describes the road problem as the most serious of the social shortcomings linked to the absence of the state in Alto Paraguay.

Peña first promised to pave sections of the roads in early 2023, while visiting Fuerte Olimpo during his presidential campaign. After becoming president, he returned to the town on Nov. 10 of the same year and repeated the promise to pave the road leading to the departmental capital. He later made the commitment again in Loma Plata, while residents continued to wait for an all-weather road.

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I have never lied to anyone in the 17 departments. Everything I promised, I am fulfilling 100%.