Paraguay Senate to debate ambassador appointment, minister interpellation

The Paraguayan Senate faces a busy week, with key debates scheduled on Wednesday concerning the appointment of Estefanía Laterza as ambassador to the United States and the interpellation of Public Works Minister Claudia Centurión. The ruling "cartismo" faction is reportedly backing Laterza, despite some local party members questioning her nomination. Senator Basilio "Bachi" Núñez has publicly stated his support for Laterza's appointment.

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Paraguay is a peculiar country. Here, technical correspondence with the European Commission ends up in the public domain. Technical correspondence is simply a reflection of project officers at the European Commission who tell us: 'This is what we think!'

Meanwhile, the "cartismo" bloc is preparing to defend Minister Centurión against an interpellation request from the opposition. Centurión has already faced questioning from opposition members during a meeting with Núñez. The Senate's agenda also includes two legislative projects aimed at combating judicial extortion practices, specifically related to promissory notes.

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When I heard headlines like 'The European Commission is imposing on us, obliging us, etc.' Nothing could be further from the truth; it is technical correspondence. We tested several versions, hypotheses, scenarios, and this is the response to one of the latest scenarios we tested, where they said it would be better to aim for 10 billion rather than 12, that it would be better to look at other sources. But these are not things that are imposed; the European Commission has no prerogatives of fiscal policy or any other nature.

Further items on the agenda include a bill declaring a state of emergency for the Social Security Institute (IPS) due to medication shortages and staffing issues, a proposal for emergency measures on the PY02 highway, and a declaration of emergency for the Alto Paraguay department due to heavy rains. The Senate will also hold an extraordinary session on Thursday to appoint a Comptroller and Sub-Comptroller.

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Things are happening that violate the professionalism and minimal ethics one should have in administration. I'm not talking about journalists, I'm talking about those who leak this information.