Paraguay, which will go to the polls at the end of April, appears in second place among the most corrupt countries in South America in the Corruption Perception Index, carried out by the NGO Transparency International and released last week —those that appear to be less corrupt are Uruguay and Chile.
This economically important neighbor of Brazil has seen years of political instability, with the split in the famous right-wing Colorado Party, by far the most powerful in the country, putting the government of President Mario Abdo Benítez once again at risk of impeachment.
Despite being a nation where the State steals a lot and where smuggling mafias rule, such as that of the untouchable ex-president Horacio Cartes —whose empire of illegal cigarette trafficking extends throughout the region—, the dispute for the Presidency at first shows a Colorado Party at the forefront.
It is the acronym that appears most often linked to cases of corruption. In recent days, it was the turn of the US to open the eyes of the neighboring nation. The Americans pressured Hugo Velázquez to withdraw his candidacy by accusing him of being “significantly corrupt”. The current vice president would be linked to a bribery attempt to stop an investigation against himself. He left the election race.
Now, the US Treasury Department is attacking other Colorados, this time Cartes, accusing him of being responsible for “corruption that undermines democratic institutions” in Paraguay. Both the vice and former president are prohibited from accessing US banks or doing business in the US. The Americans also point to possible links between Cartes and the Lebanese militia Hizbullah.
Among the complaints that have already been made against him are, in addition to smuggling, currency evasion and bribery during the campaign that elected him president. Today, he is in charge of the Colorado Party.
In 2021, the Sheet covered in loco the demonstrations against the government of Abdo Benítez, in Asunción. The feeling was that it was a movement that would grow, driven by the massive presence of young people. This scenario, however, did not occur. The strong repression made the protests wane and the pandemic ended up ending them. The opposition, weak at the time, failed to capitalize on the case politically.
Now there seems to be some difference. Efraín Alegre, leader of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party and candidate for the Presidency on three occasions, has managed to tie together a coalition of parties of the center, center-left and left, with which he believes it will be possible to remove the Colorados from power. It is the first time that an alliance of these characteristics has been formed in the country since Fernando Lugo’s victory in 2008.
Allied with Bolsonarism, Colorado de Cartes will be represented by economist Santiago Peña. The former minister, like Bolsonaro, is an admirer of the dictator Alfredo Stroessner. If he wins, the party’s dominance over Paraguay will be extended, which will facilitate the impunity of an entire generation of politicians.
The figures still do not allow us to indicate any big favorites, although the balance is more in favor of Colorado. It would be important if the country had alternation of power and investigated all these cases. Paraguay’s international disrepute harms, in addition to the local economy, Brazil and Mercosur.
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