Paraguay’s Senate has removed President Santiago Peña from office, and Vice President Pedro Alliana has been sworn in as the country’s new president, according to an Al Jazeera report.
What happened
On Friday, 6 November 2026, 44 of the 45 senators voted to remove Peña, with one abstention. The Chamber of Deputies had earlier voted 78 to 0 to impeach him. Peña had offered to resign on 5 November, but Congress rejected the resignation and went ahead with impeachment. He was found guilty of poor performance in connection with the collapse of the digital lender Ueno.
The Ueno collapse
Paraguay’s central bank said on Tuesday that Ueno had fallen below legal solvency standards and took control of it. Ueno had about three million members, nearly two-thirds of the country’s adults, and was the fifth-largest bank by deposits. About $355 million of state pension funds were invested in it. Millions of clients lost access to accounts and pension payments.
Peña was identified in 2023 as a shareholder in Ueno’s parent company. He has said he sold his shares in early 2025. Questions remain about how well the bank was regulated and whether there were conflicts of interest.
Legal action
Prosecutors have ordered house arrest for Peña on suspicion of breach of trust and other crimes. An arrest warrant has been issued for Carlos Carvallo, the former central bank head. At least 27 people face criminal charges, including the lead shareholder Miguel Vázquez. Peña has said he will cooperate with the investigation.
Reactions
Peña wrote that he was leaving “with gratitude” and did not want his presence to cause “greater division or instability.” Former president Horacio Cartes, leader of the Colorado Party, said the party backed the impeachment “in order to restore the republic’s institutions.”
About the new president
Pedro Alliana is 52 years old and was governor of Ñeembucú and a member of the Chamber of Deputies for nearly a decade. He has been vice president since 2023.
Source: Al Jazeera reporting. Photo: MosheA, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (Palacio de los López, Asunción).
