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Vice President Alliana takes oath of office as president of Paraguay

Earlier on Friday, senators unanimously voted to remove Santiago Pena from office

BUENOS AIRES, November 7. /TASS/. Paraguay’s Vice President Pedro Alliana has taken the oath of office as the new president after the impeachment of the head of state Santiago Pena, according to a broadcast on the YouTube channel of the Chamber of Senators (the upper house) of Congress.

Alliana took the oath in the presence of members of both chambers of parliament.

Earlier on Friday, senators unanimously voted to remove Pena from office over a scandal surrounding Ueno Bank, which froze the accounts of about 3 million customers. Supporters of removing Pena from power accuse him of a conflict of interest due to his alleged ties with the bank. Pena said he was resigning the day before, but the lack of a quorum prevented Congress from holding a vote to accept or reject the resignation.

Under the constitution, all ex-presidents become lifelong senators, except in cases of their impeachment.

On November 3, the Central Bank imposed external administration on Ueno Bank, freezing its accounts. The population of Paraguay stands at 7 million people.