Follow-Up: Paraguay's Congress Loses Quorum Over President's Resignation as Senate Opens Impeachment Trial
Paraguay's presidential crisis took a new turn on the evening of November 5: a joint session of Congress convened to decide whether to accept President Santiago Peña's resignation was adjourned for lack of a quorum after lawmakers of the ruling Colorado Party walked out. The resignation was not accepted, and Peña formally remains president of Paraguay.
The Chamber of Deputies had earlier voted 78-0 to approve impeachment charges against Peña, accusing him of serious and systematic malperformance of his duties. After the joint session collapsed, the Senate moved the impeachment forward the same night and opened the trial, with deputies serving as prosecutors and senators sitting as the tribunal. Congress President Basilio Núñez said Peña was scheduled to present his defense to the Senate on Friday morning, November 6, and that the trial could be resolved in a single day, though it might run longer.
After the session was lifted, Peña wrote on X: "As the impeachment trial continues, I will appear and exercise my right to a defense. I will do so with arguments and evidence, with respect for the Constitution and the institutions of the Republic."
The procedural contest matters for Peña's legal position: if his resignation were accepted, he would become a senator-for-life and keep parliamentary immunity; if he is convicted in the impeachment trial, he will be removed and lose that protection. Conviction requires two-thirds of the 45-seat Senate, or 30 votes. If Peña ultimately leaves office, Vice President Pedro Alliana is next in line to assume the presidency.
The crisis stems from the collapse of the digital bank ueno, which was seized by Paraguay's central bank and left some three million customers unable to access their accounts in a country of about 6.5 million people, sparking days of street protests. Peña announced his resignation in a recorded address on November 5, saying he was acting "for the stability of our country, social peace, and the need to preserve our democratic institutions." Attorney General Emiliano Rolón has opened three criminal investigations into the bank collapse, including one involving Peña himself. (Reporting by CNN, El País and other outlets)
Related:
Source: CNN
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于Asunción的巴拉圭国会大楼。FF MM 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0／GFDL，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The National Congress building in Asunción, Paraguay. By FF MM, CC BY-SA 3.0/GFDL, via Wikimedia Commons.
- 2026-11-04Paraguay's Ueno Bank Dissolved by Central Bank, Leaving Some 3 Million Customers Locked Out: 35 Lawmakers File Impeachment Articles Against President Pena
- 2026-11-05Paraguay President Santiago Peña Resigns: Lower House Votes 78-0 to Impeach as Bank Collapse Freezes Some 3 Million Accounts
- 2026-11-06Follow-Up: Paraguay's Congress Loses Quorum Over President's Resignation as Senate Opens Impeachment TrialThis story
