National University of Asunción Law School Clears Dean, Vice-Dean Candidates After Rejecting Challenges

The Electoral Tribunal of the National University of Asunción's Law School has cleared two candidates, Marco Aurelio González and Karen Leticia González Orrego, to compete in the upcoming dean and vice-dean elections. The tribunal rejected challenges against their candidacies, allowing them to proceed to the August 20 polls.

Marco Aurelio González, currently a member of the Central Bank of Paraguay's board, faced an impeachment based on the argument that his position requires exclusive dedication, making it incompatible with leading a faculty. However, the tribunal dismissed this challenge on a technicality. The challenger failed to provide documentation proving his status as an associate professor, a requirement to establish his standing to file the complaint. Consequently, the tribunal did not rule on the actual compatibility of González's roles.

Similarly, Karen Leticia González Orrego, a civil and commercial court judge, had her candidacy for vice-dean challenged. The argument centered on the incompatibility of a judicial role with that of vice-dean, citing constitutional and legal restrictions. Her defense relied on a 2017 constitutional challenge that was upheld by the Supreme Court of Justice. The court's ruling declared a specific law restricting judges from holding such academic positions inapplicable to González Orrego, thus clearing her path to the election.