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ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay . Cartism, the political movement of the ruling Colorado Party in Paraguay, orchestrated a parliamentary coup that resulted in the removal of opposition senator Kattya González yesterday. They cited four "reasons" for her dismissal. González had repeatedly denounced acts of corruption by Cartism, and as a result, she was subjected to persecution and political violence.

Yesterday in the Senate, around four in the afternoon and violating its own internal regulations , the Cartes faction and its allies voted for the loss of investiture of the senator from the National Encounter party, Kattya González.

In December 2023, during the impeachment proceedings against Senator Hernán Rivas, a member of the Colorado Party, González was investigated for allegedly possessing a falsified law degree. The Colorado Party had established a rule requiring 30 votes for González's removal. However, the Senate approved González's expulsion with a simple majority.

This morning, Ignacio Iramain was sworn in as senator, replacing Kattya González. Before taking the oath, he addressed the senator's removal from office: "The issue isn't her; they're going after more." Yesterday and today, protesters gathered outside Congress in support of the ousted senator.

Who are we to ignore the will of the people?

During yesterday's extraordinary session, Senator Esperanza Martínez of the Frente Guasu party addressed the violation of the regulations approved on December 20th. "Why are we now, just minutes before they are to be implemented, disregarding them and applying a different measure? That's using the law to suit my own purposes." She also suggested that this could represent another step backward for Paraguayan democracy, similar to the 2012 parliamentary coup against former President Fernando Lugo. 

“Whoever is a senator of the republic is a product of the popular will, and we elected them on April 30, 2023, and we must respect that,” stated Yolanda Paredes, senator for the National Crusade party. “ Who are we to usurp power? Who are we to disregard the will of the people? I have profound differences with the senators aligned with Cartes, and we will never reach any agreement. But that doesn't mean I will push for their removal from office. Every sector of society has the right to be represented ,” she added.

Kattya's words before being dismissed

In her final speech before the vote against her removal, Kattya González stated that this was part of a systematic plan to eliminate anyone who dared challenge the Cartes regime's mafia-like approach. “ The concern, dear citizens, should be focused on the utter contempt for the popular will and republican institutions shown by a few timid individuals serving this agenda. Thanks to the complicity of Mr. Santiago Peña, organized crime has been consolidated in Paraguay,” she declared.

On Saturday, February 10, the legislator began a hunger strike to demand that President Santiago Peña and the ruling party congressmen abandon any attempt at constitutional amendment or reform. In a video she uploaded to her social media, she explained that the possibility of amending the national constitution seeks to appease the mayors who were deprived of funds from the National Public Investment and Development Fund (Fonacide) .

Support against the silencing of opposition voices

Protesters gathered yesterday and today in front of the National Congress. Youth groups, feminist organizations, city council members, and relatives of elected officials demanded that the Cartes administration stop punishing the popular will . The removal from office of Kattya González, one of the most voted-for senators, is a message to the opposition. Social organizations and dissident members of parliament denounce the advance of authoritarianism aimed at destroying democracy .

According to the Paraguayan Human Rights Coordinator (Codehupy), the Cartes faction seeks to silence dissenting voices and popular demands in order to advance its power grab. “ Today the attack is against Senator Kattya González; later it will be against other senators, individuals, and organizations that defend the national constitution and the laws won by the people,” they stated in their press release .

They denounce gender discrimination and political violence

The violence and political persecution against Senator González and other female legislators exercising their legitimate role in Congress is not new. Hate speech and gender discrimination have been denounced by several feminist and human rights organizations, including the Democratic Parity Advocacy Group.

The OAS expressed concern over the loss of Kattya González's office, and described it as " political gender violence .

Regarding the repeated attacks on female legislators, Representative Johanna Ortega (País Solidario – Asunción), speaking with Presentes, stated that one of the most extreme elements of the authoritarianism espoused by the Cartes faction is its sexist and misogynistic practices aimed at diminishing the profile of female parliamentarians. “We are on the verge of an authoritarian government being established in Paraguay,” Representative Ortega declared . “Fear is very much alive within the opposition. We saw it in Nicaragua and Peru. There are events that indicate this could intensify in Paraguay, even though Santiago Peña and his inner circle in the executive and legislative branches claim that the Kattya case is an isolated incident,” she said.

The attacks by Cartes supporters against the senator

The Cartes faction used all sorts of arguments against Senator González. They accused her of signing attendance sheets for her assistant, Soledad Blanco, when she was supposedly abroad. They even denounced her for completing her master's and doctoral degrees in "record time," although Columbia University, where she received her degree, denied this accusation. 

Another complaint from the Cartes faction alleges that González "exposed" a police officer who worked as his assistant to participate in partisan activities. 

The Cartes supporters also accused the legislator's former advisor, José Luis Torales, of receiving remuneration from both the Comptroller General of the Republic and the Senate.