Paraguay has had a turbulent road since the end of Alfredo Stroessner’s 35-year dictatorship in 1989 [1]. Its presidents are limited to a single five-year term, but not all of them have managed to serve one in full [6]. Some resigned under pressure, and others were removed by Congress, most recently Santiago Peña, whom the Senate ousted on 6 November 2026 over the collapse of Ueno Bank [12]. This article lists every leader from 1989 to Pedro Alliana and explains, in plain terms, how each one left office.
The short answer
- Eleven people have led Paraguay since the 1989 coup that ended Alfredo Stroessner’s rule, from Andrés Rodríguez to Pedro Alliana, who was sworn in on 6 November 2026 [1, 2].
- Five elected presidents served a full five-year term: Rodríguez, Wasmosy, Duarte, Cartes and Abdo [1].
- Two leaders took over mid-term and finished the remaining time: Luis González Macchi and Federico Franco [1].
- One president resigned while facing impeachment: Raúl Cubas, in 1999 [3].
- Two presidents were removed by the Senate: Fernando Lugo in 2012 and Santiago Peña in 2026 [4, 5].
Paraguay’s story is unusual because even in its democratic era, the most common way a president gets into trouble is through Congress, not through the ballot box. Impeachment means a legislature formally charges a leader with wrongdoing and can vote to remove them. A coup means a sudden, often forceful, takeover of power outside the normal rules.
How the presidency works
The constitution gives the president a single five-year term with no re-election. The ban dates back to the Stroessner years, when he was re-elected again and again without limits [6]. In 2017, an attempt by the Senate to remove term limits triggered protests and was eventually rejected [6].
Elected former presidents become “senators for life”, a speaking but non-voting seat, except those who were impeached [6]. If the president and vice president are both unavailable, power passes to the president of the Senate, then the president of the Chamber of Deputies, then the president of the Supreme Court [6].
A short look before 1989
Paraguay’s first president, Carlos Antonio López, took office in 1844 and died in office in 1862. His son Francisco Solano López was killed in action in 1870 [1]. Between 1870 and 1954, the country had 44 presidents, and 24 of them were forced from power [1]. Stroessner then seized power in a 1954 coup, won eight elections in a row and ruled for 35 years until he was ousted in 1989 [1].
The presidents since 1989 and how each one left
| President | Party | Took office | Left office | How they left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrés Rodríguez | Colorado | 3 February 1989 | 15 August 1993 | Took power in the coup that ended Stroessner’s rule, won an election in May 1989, and handed over to his chosen successor when his term ended [1, 7] |
| Juan Carlos Wasmosy | Colorado | 15 August 1993 | 15 August 1998 | Completed his full term. He was the first civilian president since 1954 and survived a failed 1996 coup attempt by an army general [1, 7, 8] |
| Raúl Cubas | Colorado | 15 August 1998 | 28 March 1999 | Resigned after the vice president’s assassination and mass protests, facing near-certain removal by the Senate [1, 3] |
| Luis González Macchi | Colorado | 28 March 1999 | 15 August 2003 | Took over as Senate president and served until the next elected president took office. Survived a coup attempt in 2000 and an impeachment attempt in 2001 [1, 9] |
| Nicanor Duarte Frutos | Colorado | 15 August 2003 | 15 August 2008 | Completed his full term [1] |
| Fernando Lugo | Christian Democratic, then Guasú Front | 15 August 2008 | 22 June 2012 | Impeached and removed by Congress [1, 4] |
| Federico Franco | Liberal | 22 June 2012 | 15 August 2013 | Finished Lugo’s term as vice president, then handed over to the election winner [1, 10, 11] |
| Horacio Cartes | Colorado | 15 August 2013 | 15 August 2018 | Completed his full term [1] |
| Mario Abdo Benítez | Colorado | 15 August 2018 | 15 August 2023 | Completed his full term [1] |
| Santiago Peña | Colorado | 15 August 2023 | 6 November 2026 | Removed by the Senate over the collapse of Ueno Bank [1, 5, 12] |
| Pedro Alliana | Colorado | 6 November 2026 | In office | Sworn in as president as Peña’s vice president. Expected to serve until August 2028 [2, 13] |
1999: a resignation under pressure
In March 1999, Vice President Luis María Argaña was assassinated. Large protests followed in what Paraguayans call the Marzo Paraguayo (Paraguayan March) [3]. The Chamber of Deputies voted overwhelmingly to impeach Cubas the next day. Facing certain conviction by the Senate, Cubas resigned and Senate president Luis González Macchi took over [3]. Cubas later fled to Brazil [14].
2012: Lugo and the 48-hour impeachment
The trigger was a police operation on 15 June 2012 to evict landless farmers in Curuguaty, which ended with 17 deaths: six police officers and eleven farmers [10, 15]. The Chamber of Deputies voted 76 to 1 to impeach Lugo on 21 June. The Senate removed him the next day by 39 votes to 4, and Vice President Federico Franco took over [4].
Lugo accepted the result but called it a “parliamentary coup” [4]. The regional bloc UNASUR voiced concern, noting that Lugo had only two hours to prepare his defence [11]. The electoral court ruled that he had been duly removed under the constitution [4]. Paraguayans then voted for a new president in April 2013, and Cartes won [10, 16].
2026: Peña and the Ueno Bank collapse
Regulators put Ueno Bank into resolution (a rescue step where a failing bank’s deposits are moved to other institutions) after its capital fell to less than half the legal minimum [17]. Nearly three million customers were locked out of their accounts [17]. Peña held a stake in the bank’s parent company until March 2025, and he denies any improper ties to the bank [17].
Peña first said he would resign, but lawmakers pressed ahead. On 6 November the Senate declared him guilty of “poor performance in his duties” by 44 votes out of 45, with one senator absent [12]. CBS News reports he is only the second president ousted by impeachment since 1989 [5]. Prosecutors then charged him with breach of trust and administration for personal gain, and a judge ordered him held before trial [18, 19]. He has not been convicted, and the case is still at the investigation stage [20].
Opposition politicians had argued that a resignation would have kept his eligibility to become a senator for life and shielded him from prosecution [17].
Myths vs facts
| Claim | Verdict | What the record shows |
|---|---|---|
| Paraguayan presidents can run for a second term | Myth | The constitution allows one five-year term only, and a 2017 attempt to change that was rejected [6] |
| Every former president becomes a senator for life | Myth | Elected former presidents do, except those who were impeached [6] |
| Peña is the first president removed since 1989 | Myth | Lugo was removed in 2012, and Cubas resigned facing impeachment in 1999 [3, 4] |
| Lugo’s removal was a coup | Unproven (disputed) | Lugo called it a parliamentary coup and UNASUR raised concerns, but the electoral court said it was lawful [4, 11] |
| Peña has been convicted of a crime | Myth | He has been charged and ordered held before trial, but not convicted [18, 19, 20] |
| Peña was removed by the Senate | True | The Senate voted 44 out of 45 to remove him on 6 November 2026 [12] |
Bottom line
Since 1989, five Paraguayan presidents have finished a full, elected term, two have inherited and finished someone else’s, one has resigned and two have been removed by the Senate. The pattern shows a country where the single-term rule is firmly held, but where Congress has repeatedly become the place where presidential crises are settled. Peña’s removal in 2026 is the second impeachment of a sitting president in 14 years.
Disclaimer: This article is for general education and news information only and does not replace legal or professional advice. The cases involving Santiago Peña are ongoing as at the time of this publication, and the facts may change. If you notice an error or would like to send feedback or corrections, please contact us.
- [1] List of heads of state of Paraguay, Wikipedia
- [2] Paraguay’s New President Pedro Alliana, Rio Times
- [3] Raúl Cubas Grau, Wikipedia
- [4] Impeachment of Fernando Lugo, Wikipedia
- [5] Paraguay’s ousted president under house arrest after bank collapse leaves millions locked out of accounts, CBS News
- [6] President of Paraguay, Wikipedia
- [7] The Stroessner regime, Britannica
- [8] Paraguay 1999 report, Freedom House via Refworld
- [9] Luis González Macchi, Wikipedia
- [10] 2013 Paraguayan general election, Wikipedia
- [11] Federico Franco, Wikipedia
- [12] Paraguay Senate impeaches President Peña, VP Alliana takes over, Vanguard
- [13] Arrest warrant issued for former Paraguay president, Singleton Argus
- [14] Headlines, Latin America and the Caribbean, IPS News
- [15] Impeachment of Fernando Lugo, Wikipedia (Curuguaty background)
- [16] Paraguay to elect a successor to impeached president Lugo, Gulf Times
- [17] How Paraguay’s Ueno collapse is only its latest banking crisis, Al Jazeera
- [18] Paraguay prosecutors charge ex-President Peña, seek pretrial detention, Reuters via Devdiscourse
- [19] Judge orders Paraguay’s ex-president Peña held before trial, Devdiscourse
- [20] Why Paraguay Removed President Santiago Peña, Rio Times
