Georgetown Americas Institute

In April 2023, Paraguayans elected Santiago Peña, member of the ruling Colorado Party, as their next president. President Peña faces structural challenges as the country attempts to strengthen governance, address corruption, and manage the increasingly destructive impacts of climate change. Paraguay’s economy has shown remarkable resilience in the past year, recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, a severe drought, and regular inflation. GAI hosted President Peña at Georgetown University for a discussion about his plans for the next five years.

A Changing, Promising, and Democratic Paraguay

Paraguay has undergone a notable transformation throughout the three and a half decades of its democratic experience. President Peña believes that consistent reforms and a deep commitment to democratic ideals have been the key to this ongoing success after the end of the last military dictatorship. The country, which faced deep historic traumas such as the War of the Triple Alliance, the chronic instability of the twentieth century, and the military rule of Alfredo Stroessner, is changing rapidly. These defining experiences also underpin the country’s commitment to peace and democracy around the world. 

“We experienced very difficult times 150 years ago when we fought a war in which we lost 60% of our territory and 90% of our male population. We learned from the hardships of war, and so when we see the war in Ukraine we know, and we raise our voice to call for an end to the conflict.” -President Santiago Peña.

Peña believes that democracy has been good for Paraguay and that it is always a better political system than dictatorship or autocracy. Throughout the past three decades of democratic rule, the country’s development indicators have risen across the board, covering literacy, poverty reduction, trade expansion, and job creation. 

In this context of growth and development, the future seems bright. He now looks to better integrate Paraguay into the global economy, making use of the country’s abundant natural resources to gain market access in key regions, such as East Asia.

“I truly believe this is the best-kept secret in the region and probably in the world. This is one of the most amazing countries, and it has a huge potential not only in food production but also renewable energy to empower sustainable industries.” -President Santiago Peña.

The Future of Paraguay’s Democracy

President Peña also reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening democracy. He has launched a joint anti-corruption initiative with the legislative and judicial branches of government and is working to deliver on people’s expectations. To Peña, this is the key to a successful democracy; he insisted that leaders need to develop trust with voters by remaining true to their commitments. Leading by example will help guarantee the future health of the country’s democracy by inspiring promising youths to get involved. 

“We know that we need to advance in many areas, but we also know that there is a huge gap between reality and perception about our democracy, and we need to work to bridge this gap.” -President Santiago Peña.

Addressing the rise of anti-system political candidates, Peña explained that he understands people’s frustrations. In many areas there still is poor access to proper education, transportation, and security. These are valid reasons for voters to be frustrated, but he disagrees with the methods proposed by candidates like Paraguayo Cubas. Peña concluded by contrasting this desire to weaken democracy with his own commitment to continually strengthening the health of Paraguay’s democracy, highlighting his plans to reform prisons and modernize the justice system.

The event was moderated by GAI Managing Director Denisse Yanovich and Inter-American Development Bank Division Chief Roberto de Michele. GAI was joined by the Georgetown Latin American Policy Association and the Embassy of Paraguay in sponsoring this event. A full recording of the event is available on the GAI YouTube channel.