Pedro Alliana, 52, was sworn in as president of Paraguay on the night of Friday, November 6, 2026, after the Senate removed Santiago Peña with 44 votes, and will complete the term through August 15, 2028. He had been vice president since 2023 and was previously governor of Ñeembucú, a deputy for a decade and president of the Colorado Party (ANR), according to Última Hora and ABC Color's live coverage.
Alliana takes office amid the crisis over the collapse of Ueno Bank, which led to his predecessor's removal. This article covers who Pedro Alliana is, how he reached the presidency and the challenges ahead. Details of the vote are in our article on the impeachment of Santiago Peña.
Who is Pedro Alliana: key facts
View the data as a table
| Years old | 52 |
| Senate votes that removed Peña | 44 |
| Years as a deputy | 10 |
| Months until the term ends | 21 |
| Fact | Pedro Alliana |
|---|---|
| Full name | Hércules Pedro Lorenzo Alliana Rodríguez |
| Born | February 19, 1974, in Pilar (Ñeembucú) |
| Party | National Republican Association (ANR, Colorado Party) |
| Current office | President of Paraguay since November 6, 2026 |
| Previous offices | Vice president (2023-2026), deputy (2013-2023), governor of Ñeembucú (2008-2013) |
| Term ends | August 15, 2028 |
Sources: Última Hora, ABC Color and Al Jazeera. Alliana attended the Cristo Rey school and the Santo Tomás Italian national school in Pilar, and according to Última Hora he has no known higher education. Before politics he was a merchant in his hometown and played basketball: in 1991 he was part of Paraguay's national team.
Pedro Alliana's political career
- 1974Born in Pilar, ÑeembucúOn February 19.
- 2006Loses the race for mayor of Pilar
- 2008Governor of ÑeembucúUntil 2013.
- 2013Deputy for ÑeembucúRe-elected in 2018; he presided over the Chamber of Deputies.
- 2015President of the Colorado Party (ANR)He held the post until January 2023.
- 2023Vice president to Santiago PeñaElected on April 30; took office on August 15.
- Nov. 5, 2026Deputies decline to impeach him
- Nov. 6, 2026Sworn in as president of ParaguayAfter Peña's removal; he completes the term through 2028.
Alliana started in local politics. In 2006 he ran as the Colorado candidate for mayor of Pilar and lost, but in 2008 he won the governorship of Ñeembucú, the southwestern department whose capital is Pilar. In 2013 he entered the Chamber of Deputies, was re-elected in 2018 and presided over the Chamber: Última Hora says he was elected to that post four times, while Al Jazeera refers to three years at its head.
In July 2015 he was elected president of the ANR, the party that has governed Paraguay for most of the past seven decades, and in 2020 he extended his term at an extraordinary convention. He left the post in January 2023, when former president Horacio Cartes took over. As party president, according to Última Hora, he could not prevent the split between the Honor Colorado and Fuerza Republicana factions.
View the data as a table
| Pilar | Hometown; capital of Ñeembucú, which he governed from 2008 to 2013 |
| Asunción | National Congress, where he was sworn in on November 6, 2026 |
Pedro Alliana and the ticket with Santiago Peña
In the April 30, 2023 election, Alliana was Santiago Peña's running mate. The Colorado ticket won with 1,292,079 votes, 42.74% of all votes cast, ahead of Efraín Alegre and Paraguayo Cubas. They took office on August 15, 2023.
| Ticket (2023) | Votes | % of all votes cast |
|---|---|---|
| Santiago Peña - Pedro Alliana (ANR) | 1,292,079 | 42.74% |
| Efraín Alegre (Concertación) | 830,842 | 27.48% |
| Paraguayo Cubas (Cruzada Nacional) | 692,663 | 22.91% |
Source: Superior Court of Electoral Justice results compiled in 2023 Paraguayan general election. Calculated on valid votes, Peña won about 44%. The impeachment charges filed on November 4, 2026 also named Alliana, but the Chamber of Deputies declined to open proceedings against him, according to Al Jazeera.
How Pedro Alliana reached the presidency of Paraguay
The Senate removed Peña for poor performance of his duties with 44 votes from 45 senators. Alliana immediately began the succession process set out in Article 234 of the Constitution and was sworn in before Congress in a joint session chaired by Basilio "Bachi" Núñez, according to ABC Color's live coverage. Congress then elected Colorado senator Antonio Barrios as vice president.
| Time (November 6) | What happened |
|---|---|
| 6:55 p.m. | The Senate removes Peña with 44 votes |
| 7:15 p.m. | Alliana begins the succession process (Art. 234) |
| 7:45 p.m. | Alliana is sworn in as president before Congress |
| 8:18 p.m. | Antonio Barrios is sworn in as vice president |
Before the final vote, the Senate rejected the 72-hour extension requested by Peña's defense with 39 votes against and admitted all of the prosecution's evidence by 41 votes to 0. Peña did not appear and, shortly before the verdict, posted on X that he had resigned "to avoid further harm to the country." After his removal, prosecutors sought his detention and he was placed in preventive detention at the Presidential Escort Regiment, according to Infobae.
Table source: ABC Color, Paraguay time. Other outlets log times a few minutes apart: El Cronista reported Alliana's swearing-in at 8:09 p.m.
The challenges facing Pedro Alliana as president
The first is Ueno Bank. About $355 million in state pension funds had been placed in the bank, according to Al Jazeera, and millions of customers lost access to their accounts. Alliana promised that those affected "will be fully compensated," according to Infobae, and said his government will focus on rationalizing spending and on savers. The central bank reported that 1,196,000 people received the deposit guarantee, totaling 996 billion guaraníes, about $160 million, according to El Cronista.
Alliana reaches the presidency without having been elected to it, as happened in 2012 with Federico Franco after Fernando Lugo's removal. His government will last less than two years and will overlap with the campaign for the 2028 general election, in which his successor will be chosen.
- Ueno Bank: returning funds to savers and to the Social Security Institute, and responding to the criminal investigation.
- Governability: the Colorado Party split during the crisis, and former president Horacio Cartes backed Peña's impeachment.
- Short horizon: 21 months remain in the term, until August 15, 2028.
- Foreign relations: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva congratulated him and invited him to Brasília.
To see how leaders' pay compares across the region, see how much Latin American presidents earn.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the president of Paraguay?
Pedro Alliana, who was sworn in on November 6, 2026, after Santiago Peña's removal. He will complete the term through August 15, 2028.
How old is Pedro Alliana?
52. He was born on February 19, 1974, in Pilar, Ñeembucú department.
Which party does Pedro Alliana belong to?
The National Republican Association (ANR), the Colorado Party, which he chaired from 2015 to 2023.
Who is Paraguay's new vice president?
Antonio Barrios, a Colorado senator elected by Congress on the night of November 6.
Why was Alliana not impeached?
The charges filed on November 4 named him, but the Chamber of Deputies declined to open proceedings against him and charged only Peña.
