Paraguayans To Stage Three Days of Protests
The sign reads, “I march for justice and against all injustices.”
March 25, 2025 Hour: 7:51 am
There is widespread discontent due to the President Peña’s neoliberal agenda.
From Tuesday to Thursday, Paraguayan social and political organizations will stage demonstrations to protest against the policies of right-wing President Santiago Peña.
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On Tuesday, workers, retirees, Indigenous people, and young people will march in the city of Asuncion, culminating at the Plaza de Armas in front of Congress. Their goal is to denounce issues such as labor law violations, nepotism as a frequent government practice, and the neglect of the healthcare system.
“We repudiate the actions of Santiago Peña’s government, which implements measures and enacts laws that systematically undermine the rights of the majority. It is carrying out a policy of plundering state finances to benefit its cronies and operatives in both the private and public sectors,” the Social and Union Front said in a public statement supporting the protests.
“The directive for our comrades is clear: to defend the legitimate rights of the working class and the people, resist any authoritarian attempt to destroy the democratic foundations of the Republic, and position ourselves as an organized society against the advance of narco-politics and fascism within and from public power,” it added.
On Wednesday, citizens will carry out the “Great National March, United for Paraguay,” along with a mobilization of farmers, who will march for “the rights trampled on by Santiago Peña’s government” and “in defense of freedom, democracy, and social justice.”
On Thursday, the National Peasant Federation (FNC) and Indigenous movements will hold the 31st Peasant March, an annual event aimed at raising awareness about the need for agrarian reform, the precarious state support for producers, and the abuses committed against rural inhabitants through evictions.
“There is widespread discontent due to the government’s neoliberal agenda. This explains the diversity and multiplicity of slogans, demands, and organizations uniting against President Peña,” said researcher Abel Irala.
The marches over the next 72 hours will take place during the anniversary of the so-called “Paraguayan March,” a political crisis that erupted in 1999 after the assassination of Paraguay’s then-Vice President, Luis Maria Argaña. This assassination triggered an unprecedented wave of protests in which about seven citizens were killed and approximately 700 people were injured.
In March 2017, Paraguay also experienced massive demonstrations in response to a constitutional amendment attempt promoted by the ruling Colorado Party, which sought to allow the re-election of then-President Horacio Cartes (2013–2018).
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: Ultima Hora – Baseis
