ASUNCION, Nov 5 (Reuters) – Paraguay’s Congress on Thursday began the process of seeking President Santiago Peña’s removal, following the collapse of digital lender ueno that has led to protests and calls for his resignation.
A two-thirds majority of lawmakers participating in the session is needed to begin impeachment proceedings.
The impeachment push gathered momentum early on Thursday as Congress President Basilio Nuñez and Colorado Party leader Horacio Cartes withdrew their support for Peña, leaving the president increasingly isolated ahead of the vote.
Paraguay’s Congress late on Wednesday convened an extraordinary session to debate Peña’s future, after 35 lawmakers submitted impeachment articles in the 80-seat lower house.
Lawmakers accuse Peña of conflicts of interest, misuse of pension funds and institutional cover-ups linked to the collapse of digital lender ueno, which left millions of Paraguayans unable to access their accounts this week.
Peña was a shareholder in the group that controlled ueno until last year.
(Reporting by Daniela Desantis; writing by Lucinda Elliott; Editing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez)
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