Hércules Pedro Lorenzo Alliana Rodríguez, 52, was sworn in as president of Paraguay on Friday, following the removal of former president Santiago Peña. Alliana, a long‑time member of the Colorado Party, succeeded Peña after the government was forced to resign amid a financial crisis linked to the sudden closure of Ueno Bank. Alliana’s political career began in the department of Ñeembucú, where he served as governor from 2008 to 2013. He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 2013 and re‑elected in 2017, serving until 2023. In 2023 he was appointed vice president under Peña, a position he held until the president’s resignation. In 2016, Alliana was diagnosed with aggressive leukemia, which kept him out of the Chamber for more than 90 days. He received treatment at the Sirio‑Lebanese Hospital in Brazil, a cost that was covered by former Colorado Party leader Horacio Cartes. The experience reinforced his Catholic faith and strengthened his ties to Cartes, who has since acted as a mentor. In his first address to the nation, Alliana thanked the Colorado Party—officially the Asociación Nacional Republicana—and reaffirmed his commitment to its principles. He pledged to address the fallout from the Ueno Bank collapse, which had cost Peña his office. “I will work to compensate those affected by the financial collapse that led to the closure of Ueno Bank,” he said. Alliana is married to Fabiana Souto, a businesswoman and former Colorado Party deputy, and they have three children together. He also has a daughter from a previous relationship. Prior to entering public office, he was a businessman and played for the Paraguayan national basketball team, a sport that enjoys limited popularity in the country. The new president’s ascension follows a pattern of Colorado Party leadership transitions. Peña, who had originally been a member of the Liberal Radical Authentic Party before joining the Colorado Party, was ousted after the Ueno Bank crisis. Alliana, described as a “colorado de raza” for his long-standing affiliation with the party, is expected to continue the party’s conservative agenda, which he has articulated under the motto “Dios, patria y familia.”
Article source: El Nuevo Diario | Image credit: El Nuevo Diario