Government & politics — Paraguay
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Government & politics at a glance
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations. Key figure for Paraguay: Republic of Paraguay
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Identity & names
- Full Country Name
Republic of Paraguay
- Country Name
Paraguay
- Local - Long
República del Paraguay
- Local - Short
Paraguay
- Etymology- history of name
the precise meaning of the name Paraguay is unclear, but it seems to derive from the river of the same name; one explanation has the name meaning "water of the Payagua" (an indigenous tribe that lived along the river)
- Independence
14-15 May 1811 (from Spain); note - the uprising against Spanish authorities took place during the night of 14-15 May 1811 and both days are celebrated in Paraguay
- National Holiday
Independence Day, 14-15 May (1811) (observed 15 May); 14 May is celebrated as Flag Day
Political system
- Government Type
presidential republic
- Constitution
- history: several previous;
- latest approved and promulgated 20 June 1992 amendments: proposed at the initiative of at least one quarter of either chamber of the National Congress, by the president of the republic, or by petition of at least 30,000 voters; passage requires a two-thirds majority vote by both chambers and approval in a referendum; amended 2011
- Legal System:
civil law system with influences from Argentine, Spanish, Roman, and French civil law models; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice
- Executive Branch:
- chief of state: President Santiago PEÑA Palacios (since 15 August 2023); Vice President Pedro Lorenzo ALLIANA Rodríguez (since 15 August 2023); note - the president is
- both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Santiago PEÑA Palacios (since 15 August 2023); Vice President Pedro Lorenzo ALLIANA Rodrí
- guez (since 15 August 2023) cabinet: Council o
- f Ministers appointed by the president elections/appointments: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by simple majority popular vote for a single 5-year term; election last held on 30
- April 2023 (next to be held in April 2028) election results: 2023: Santiago PEÑA Palacios elected president; percent of vote - Santiago PEÑA Palacios (ANR) 43.9%, Efraín ALEGRE (PLRA) 28.3%, Paraguayo "Payo" CUBAS Colomés (PCN) 23.6%, other 4.2% 2018: Mario ABDO BENÍTEZ elected president; percent of vote - Mario ABDO BENÍTEZ (ANR) 49%, Efraín ALEGRE (PLRA) 45.1%, other 5.9%
- Legislative Branch:
Description
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of: Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (45 seats; members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by closed-list proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms) Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (80 seats; members directly elected in 18 multi-seat constituencies - corresponding to the country's 17 departments and capital city - by closed-list proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms)
Elections
Chamber of Senators - last held on 30 April 2023 (next to be held in April 2028) Chamber of Deputies - last held on 30 April 2023 (next to be held in April 2028)
Election Results
- Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party/coalition - ANR 45.7%, PLRA 24.4%, PCN 11.5%, PEN 5.2%, PPQ 2.5%, other 10.7%
- seats by party/coalition - ANR 23, PLRA 12, PCN 5, PEN 2, PPQ 1, other 2;
Composition
- men 38, women 7, percent of women 18.4% Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party/coalition - ANR 44%, PLRA 30.9%, PCN 8.3%, PPQ 3.6%, PEN 2.9%
- other 10.3%
- seats by party/coalition - ANR 49, PLRA 21, PCN 4, PEN 2, PPQ 1, other 3;
Composition
men 68, women 12, percent of women 17.6%;
Note
total National Congress percent of women NA%
- Judicial Branch:
- highest court(s): Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (consists of 9 justices divided 3 each into the Constitutional Court, Civil and Commercial Chamber,
- and Criminal Division) judge selection and term of office: justices proposed by the Council of Magistrates or Consejo de la Magistratura, a 6-member independent body, and appointed by the Chamber of Senators with presidential concurrence; judges can
- serve until mandatory retirement at age 75 subordinate courts: appellate courts; first instance courts; minor courts, including justices of the peace
- Regions or States:
Summary
17 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 capital city*
Regions or States
- Alto Paraguay
- Alto Parana
- Amambay
- Asuncion*
- Boqueron
- Caaguazu
- Caazapa
- Canindeyu
- Central
- Concepcion
- Cordillera
- Guaira
- Itapua
- Misiones
- Neembucu
- Paraguari
- Presidente Hayes
- San Pedro
- Political Parties and Leaders:
- Asociacion Nacional Republicana (National Republican Association) - Colorado Party or ANR [Mario ABDO BENITEZ]
- Avanza Pais coalition or AP [Adolfo FERREIRO]
- Frente Guasu (Broad Front coalition) or FG [Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez]
- GANAR Alliance (Great Renewed National Alliance) (alliance between PLRA and Guasú Front)
- Movimiento Hagamos or MH [Antonio "Tony" APURIL]
- Movimiento Union Nacional de Ciudadanos Eticos (National Union of Ethical Citizens) or UNACE [Jorge OVIEDO MATTO]
- Partido Cruzada Nacional (National Crusade Party) or PCN [Paraguayo "Payo" CUBAS Colomés]
- Note: formerly Movimiento Cruzada Nacional Partido del Movimiento al Socialismo or P-MAS [Camilo Ernesto SOARES Machado] Partido Democratica Progresista (Progressive Democratic Party) or PDP [Rafael FILIZZOLA] Partido Encuentro Nacional or PEN [Fernando CAMACHO] Partido Liberal Radical Autentico (Authentic Radical Liberal Party) or PLRA [Efrain ALEGRE] Partido Pais Solidario or PPS [Carlos Alberto FILIZZOLA Pallares] Partido Popular Tekojoja or PPT [Sixto PEREIRA Galeano] Patria Querida (Beloved Fatherland Party) or PPQ [Miguel CARRIZOSA]
- Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory until the age of 75
- Citizenship Criteria:
- yes citizenship by descent: at least one parent must be
- yes residency requirement for naturalization: 3 years
Capital & time
- Capital Name
Asunción
- Capital - geographic coordinate
25 16 S, 57 40 W
- Capital Time Difference
UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Daylight Savings Time
+1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends last Sunday in March
International role
- International Organization Participation:
CAN (associate), CD, CELAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, PROSUR, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHRC, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
- International Law Organization Participation:
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
- Diplomatic Representation from US:
chief of mission
Ambassador Marc OSTFIELD (since 9 March 2022) embassy: 1776 Mariscal Lopez Avenue, Asuncion mailing address: 3020 Asuncion Place, Washington DC 20521-3020
telephone
[595] (21) 248-3000
FAX
[595] (21) 213-728
Email address and website
- ParaguayACS@state.gov
- https://py.usembassy.gov/
- Diplomatic Representation in the US:
chief of mission
Ambassador Jose Antonio DOS SANTOS BEDOYA (since 15 September 2021)
chancery
2209 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20008
telephone
[1] (202) 483-6960
FAX
[1] (202) 234-4508
Email address and website
- gabineteembaparusa@mre.gov.py
consulate(s) general
Los Angeles, Miami, New York