Paraguay Vice President Defies Cartes on 13 October

Paraguay’s vice president, Pedro Alliana, said on Tuesday, 13 October, that he will not abandon his bid for the presidency. He spoke after reports that Horacio Cartes, the ruling party’s most powerful figure, now favours a cabinet minister instead.

The Paraguay vice president told the Asunción daily ABC Color on Tuesday that he will not quit the race for 2028. He said he had heard a great deal of noise about Cartes backing someone else, but nothing official.

Cartes, a former president once sanctioned by the US Treasury for corruption, chairs the ruling Colorado Party. The rift matters beyond Paraguay because the country is one of the few that recognise Taiwan rather than China.

ABC Color and Última Hora both reported that Cartes favours Juan Carlos Baruja, the minister of urbanism, housing and habitat. Alliana told ABC Color that officially he had received nothing, only “a lot of noise.”

Asked whether he would give up his ambitions, the Paraguay vice president answered with a string of firm refusals. “My candidacy remains firm,” he said, according to the paper.

He said he would first consult party leaders and commission polls, then decide on next steps after the end of the year. He added that he would not launch “an adventure” without the support of the party’s leadership.

Alliana also said he had spoken briefly with President Santiago Peña after Peña met Cartes. Peña, a Colorado economist who took office in August 2023, laughed at the news and invited him to talk, Alliana said.

The vice president said he was still weighing possible running mates. He also said loyalty to Cartes should not be confused with blind obedience.

Raúl Latorre, president of the Chamber of Deputies, reaffirmed his public commitment to Alliana’s candidacy on Tuesday, both papers reported. He told Última Hora that the biggest tensions of the Asunción municipal campaign came from inside Honor Colorado itself.

Honor Colorado is the faction Cartes built inside the Colorado Party, and Peña won the presidency as its candidate. Latorre said he knew Peña and Cartes had met but lacked details of what they discussed.

Latorre praised Cartes for returning the party to power and described the faction as a family. “It is natural for the children to grow,” he said, adding that any split would be assessed if it came.

Última Hora also reported that César Sosa, governor of Guairá, pledged the Colorado governors’ support for Alliana after a council meeting. Sosa said the governors would seek talks with Cartes, Alliana and Peña that afternoon.

Sosa called Baruja “a great colleague” and wished him luck if he becomes the choice. The tone suggests the governors want to back Alliana without an open break with Cartes.

Cartes, a businessman whose group includes tobacco firms, was Paraguay’s president from 2013 to 2018. On 26 January 2023, the US Treasury sanctioned him for corruption and also designated four companies it said he owned or controlled.

The Treasury cited alleged monthly cash payments to loyal legislators and money used to buy votes for a constitutional reform. It said he kept influencing lawmakers after leaving office.

The Treasury removed Cartes and those companies from its sanctions list on 6 October 2025, OFAC records show. His lawyer, Pedro Ovelar, told Última Hora in July 2026 that a separate State Department “significantly corrupt” label had also been lifted.

That history explains why his role in choosing Paraguay’s next president draws attention in Washington. It also means any shift in his influence is followed by banks and investors with ties to his business group.

Paraguay recognises Taiwan rather than China, and its ruling Colorado Party has defended that tie. A split in that party matters to Washington, which competes with Beijing for influence in South America.

For investors, the dispute is about who leads the party, not economic policy, since all the rivals belong to the governing camp. No change of government is imminent, because the next general election is due in 2028.

For US travellers and businesses, nothing changes in the short term. Peña’s five-year term runs until August 2028, and the party quarrel does not affect his government’s authority.

Cartes has not publicly confirmed that he prefers Baruja, and Baruja has not announced a candidacy. Alliana himself said nothing official had reached him.

What Peña and Cartes discussed at their meeting has not been disclosed. The number of governors backing Alliana was given by only one outlet and is not confirmed by an official statement.

The State Department has not publicly confirmed his lawyer’s claim that its corruption designation was lifted. No US government statement on the dispute has been issued.

Alliana said he would weigh polls and decide on his next steps after the end of the year. The governors said they would seek talks with Cartes, Alliana and Peña to keep the party together.

The dispute does not mean the Colorado Party has formally split or that the government faces a crisis. The date of the party’s primaries for 2028 was not given in Tuesday’s reports.

Pedro Alliana is Paraguay’s vice president, elected alongside President Santiago Peña in 2023. He wants to be the Colorado Party’s presidential candidate in 2028.

Horacio Cartes is a businessman who was Paraguay’s president from 2013 to 2018 and now chairs the Colorado Party. The US Treasury sanctioned him for corruption in January 2023 and lifted the sanctions in October 2025.

Juan Carlos Baruja is Paraguay’s minister of urbanism, housing and habitat. Local reports say Cartes favours him as the ruling faction’s presidential candidate.

No, the US Treasury removed Cartes from its sanctions list on 6 October 2025. His lawyer says a separate State Department corruption designation was also lifted, which Washington has not publicly confirmed.

Paraguay holds its next general election in 2028. President Peña cannot run again because the constitution limits presidents to a single term.

Sources: US Department of the Treasury, press release of 26 January 2023 ; ABC Color, Alliana interview ; ABC Color, Latorre ; Última Hora, Latorre ; Última Hora, governors ; OFAC, SDN list removals of 6 October 2025 ; Última Hora, Ovelar, July 2026 (all accessed 13 October 2026).

Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind , Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error