Paraguayan congressman seeks comptroller post, urges plurality

Jorge Ávalos Mariño, a congressman from the Liberal Radical Authentic Party (PLRA), is positioning himself for the role of comptroller general in Paraguay. He is advocating for the continued inclusion of opposition parties in the oversight institution, emphasizing the importance of political plurality.

Ávalos Mariño stated that his candidacy was requested by fellow liberal lawmakers and has been discussed with the PLRA president. He is also engaged in negotiations with leaders of the ruling Colorado Party (ANR) to secure an agreement. He believes that the ANR will not attempt to completely take over the Comptroller's Office, a move that would be possible given their majority in both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.

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I believe it is important, even more so now, and it has always been the practice that a comptroller is from a different party than the government, except for these last few occasions, but in all previous ones it was like that. In my opinion, it is ideal.

"I believe it is important, even more so now, and it has always been the practice that a comptroller is from a different party than the government, except for these last few occasions, but in all previous ones it was like that. In my opinion, it is ideal," Ávalos Mariño said. He recalled that until the resignation of the opposition comptroller Enrique García in 2019, a political pact ensured the office was led by someone from the opposing political sign to the government. This practice was broken with the subsequent election of the current Colorado comptroller, Camilo Benítez Aldana.

While not directly involved in the negotiations, Ávalos Mariño is optimistic about reaching an agreement. He suggested that discussions and negotiations are ongoing, and he would not rule out the possibility of his party accepting the sub-comptroller position as part of a compromise. The ultimate goal, he explained, is to negotiate and achieve what is possible within the current political landscape.

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I do not believe they want to impose both, but yes, and in fact everything is discussed, everything is negotiated. I would not rule out that in the end the party would end up accepting the Sub-Comptrollership. The idea is to put it on the table, discuss and negotiate, and within that, surely achieve what is possible.