Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva congratulated Pedro Alliana after he took office as Paraguay’s president, saying he hoped to strengthen ties and advance South American integration. (Foto: Instagram)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wished Pedro Alliana success on Friday, Nov. 6, after Alliana took office as Paraguay’s president following the impeachment of Santiago Peña. Lula said he hoped to work with the new government to strengthen relations between the two countries and advance South American integration.
In a message posted on social media, Lula said he wanted to maintain an open and cooperative relationship with Alliana. He expressed his hope that they could work together to deepen bilateral ties and promote regional integration.
Lula also said he hoped to welcome Alliana to Brasília soon, where the leaders could discuss shared interests and give fresh momentum to the countries’ longstanding friendship. He said the meeting would provide an opportunity to review the bilateral agenda.
Alliana, 52, belongs to the Colorado Party, the same party as Peña and a historically dominant force in Paraguayan politics. He is from Pilar, in the department of Ñeembucú. His political career included serving as governor of the region from 2008 to 2012 and as a member of Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies from 2013 to 2023. Before becoming vice president, he also led the Colorado Party’s bloc in the lower house.
In April, Alliana announced a preliminary bid for the presidency in the 2028 election. Peña and former president Horacio Cartes had publicly expressed support for his candidacy. Alliana became president after serving as vice president and was called to take office following the Senate’s impeachment vote.
The change in leadership came amid a political and financial crisis tied to the Ueno Bank scandal. Paraguay’s Senate voted unanimously to impeach Peña on Friday after allegations of conflicts of interest, irregularities in the handling of pension funds and manipulation of rules related to the bank. Peña had been a shareholder in a company affiliated with the bank’s controlling group until March 2025. After he became president in 2023, the bank received about $850 million in deposits from public agencies, including funds from the Social Security Institute. Peña was arrested under a court order.
The Central Bank of Paraguay suspended Ueno Bank’s operations on Nov. 3 after determining that it lacked sufficient resources to meet its obligations. The crisis left millions of customers unable to access their deposits. In his inaugural address, Alliana promised that customers affected by the bank’s closure would get their money back.
