A Turning Point for ‘Cartismo’ in Paraguay

 

Kattya González, of the National Encounter Party, gave an emotional farewell speech after 23 out of her 45 fellow senators voted to removed her from office earlier this month. Blaming “the boss,” former Colorado Party President Horacio Cartes, she said the unexpected vote was punishment for her fight against corruption, clientelism, and organized crime that has turned Paraguay into a “narco-state.”  

Although the former senator belongs to a minor political party, her voice was amplified by social media and the news media’s coverage of her anti-corruption campaign. Yet González’s downfall was not an isolated event. Rather, her ousting was part of a broader strategy by allies of the former president, known as “cartismo.” 

Paraguay’s Colorado Party, which has ruled uninterruptedly for 70 years, is not monolithic; indeed, the last Colorado president, Mario Abdo, was a critic of Cartes and his Honor Colorado movement. However, Cartes, Paraguay’s president from 2013 to 2018, is the party’s dominant figure. In 2022, he was elected party leader and his protégé, Santiago Peña, won the presidency in 2023.

 Cartes also exerts power by maneuvering allies onto the Council of the Magistracy, the body responsible for selecting judges, and to positions that have oversight over judicial conduct. His influence is also a function of his wealth, as one of Paraguay’s wealthiest businessmen. Historically, the Colorado Party was influenced by the military. Today, it is shaped by money. 

Cartes’s increasing power was a disappointment for Washington. In 2022, the State Department designated the former president as “significantly corrupt” and the Treasury Department sanctioned several of his companies. “The boss” transferred his companies to his children and renamed the “Cartes Group,” which is now known as the “Cartes Montaña Group.” 

The implications for public policy in Paraguay are still coming into view. Like other conservatives in the region, “Cartismo” is focused on gender ideology, fueled by anti-globalist sentiment, and promotes its perception of traditional Paragauyan cultural and religious values. In international relations, it favors an unwavering alliance with Israel and Taiwan. In 2023, the Colorado Party hosted the Union of Latin American Parties conference, which brought together conservative political parties from throughout the region.

 When it comes to Brazil and the United States, two of Paraguay’s most important partners, Cartes’s ideological fellow travelers are in the opposition. Nevertheless, Paraguay has adopted a pragmatic approach under Peña. However, that does not suggest that Cartes is losing control, but rather highlights the importance of Paraguay’s relationships with its giant neighbor and with the United States. 

Indeed, most strategic decisions by Paraguay’s government and Colorado Party-controlled Congress are made at the so called “command center,” a meeting chaired by Cartes and attended by leading party lawmakers and senior government officials. Peña himself often attends, alongside his vice president, Pedro Alliana.

 Paradoxically, González’s dismissal from the Senate, a show of force by Cartes, might be a turning point for “Cartismo.” The 23 votes in favor of her expulsion, one more than the minimum required, was a relatively poor showing for “Cartismo.” The decision, meanwhile, prompted criticism from private sector actors that stay out of politics, as well as statements from the Catholic Church and civil society organizations. There have also been demonstrations. Among the fractured opposition, there is talk of a “democratic front” that would unite dissident Colorado legislators and opposition lawmakers.
 

Whether Cartes truly overplayed his hand with González’s ouster remains to be seen. For now, “the boss” is not showing signs of retreat; the Colorado Party is considering constitutional reform to allow presidential reelection, a divisive subject in Paraguay. But the reaction to the Senate vote has brought new scrutiny to “Cartismo,” raising fears of how the former president’s influence threatens Paraguay’s young democracy.

Published 1st of Marcho in weekly Asado, Latin America Program, Wilson Center

Image: ZYGMUNT ZARADKIEWICZ

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[1] Political Analyst. Columnist for Última Hora and Latinoamérica21. Former UNFPA Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. Independent consultant. X (Twitter) @escabcar. Blog https://dialogopoliticapublica.blogspot.com/.