The Congress of Paraguay is summoned in an emergency session this Sunday to treat the destitution of Attorney General Sandra Quinonez, after accusations of covering former president Horacio Cartes’s alleged corruption.
Paraguay’s bicameral Congress consists of a 45-member Senate and an 80-member Chamber of Deputies. It serves as the legislative branch of the Paraguayan state. Both chambers of Congress are elected concurrently with the president by means of a proportional representation system. A figure so protected he was long thought to be unassailable, former Paraguay president Horacio Cartes is suddenly facing severe threats at home and abroad.
On July 22, the United States denounced Cartes for alleged “involvement in significant corruption.” In a press statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made serious allegations against Cartes, including that he “obstructed a major international investigation into transnational crime” to protect himself and an unspecified associate. And according to Blinken, Cartes had “recently documented involvement with foreign terrorist organizations.” Cartes, as well as three of his children, Juan Pablo Cartes Montaña, Sofía Cartes Montaña, and María Sol Cartes Montaña, are all barred from receiving US visas.