Paraguay's Peña 'postponed' in management, opposition lawmakers say

Opposition legislators in Paraguay have sharply criticized President Santiago Peña's administration, asserting that his three years in office have yielded little progress and left citizens struggling with persistent problems. Despite Peña's delivery of his third management report to Congress, lawmakers from opposing parties voiced strong dissent, characterizing his tenure as "postponed" and a "great disappointment."

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everything that would be witnessed in Congress would be a great 'reality show,' because Peña could not be cross-examined 'in the face of the lies we are surely going to hear today.'

Key criticisms centered on the ongoing lack of essential medications in public hospitals, pervasive corruption, rising insecurity, and a noticeable decline in citizens' purchasing power. Legislators pointed to specific issues such as an 80% increase in meat prices over the past decade, which they attribute to political favoritism towards a few meatpacking companies. They argued that while macroeconomic indicators might appear stable, the average Paraguayan's financial reality paints a bleaker picture.

One legislator, Congressman Raúl Benítez, even arrived at Congress wearing a t-shirt with a polygraph image, intending to "detect" what he anticipated would be the president's "lies" during his report. He asserted that the health situation for Paraguayans is worse now than during the pandemic due to shortages of medicines and supplies.

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Paraguayans are worse off than during the pandemic in terms of health, due to the lack of medicines and supplies in public sector hospitals.

Rubén Rubin, another congressman, criticized Peña for failing to achieve significant advancements despite his party's absolute majority in Congress. While acknowledging the "Hambre Cero" (Zero Hunger) program as a positive point, Rubin stressed the need for improved security, more police personnel, and better equipment to combat organized crime. He lamented that "corruption continues; the partying, the waste continues. After 36 months, we are very bad."

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The price of meat has increased by 80% in 10 years in the basic basket for 'doing a favor to six or seven meatpacking plants' with political ties.

Senator Rubén Velázquez echoed these sentiments, stating that Peña is "totally postponed" in his management. He specifically called out the lack of effective responses to drug trafficking and organized crime, underscoring a widespread opposition view that the administration has failed to deliver on critical fronts.

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The macroeconomy may be doing well, but not in people's pockets.