President of Paraguay

The **President of Paraguay** () is according to the Constitution of Paraguay the head of the executive branch of the Government of Paraguay, both head of state and head of government.

The President is limited to a single five-year term. it was ultimately rejected.

The Presidential seat is the Palacio de los López, in Asunción. The Presidential residence is the Mburuvichá Roga, also in Asunción.

Once Presidents leave office, they are granted by the Constitution of Paraguay the speaking-but-non-voting position of Senator for life.

The current President of Paraguay is Santiago Peña, since 15 August 2023. He was elected in 2023.

### Non-presidential heads of state (1811–1844)

|style="width:2%;"|No.|style="width:5%;"|Portrait|style="width:20%;"|Name <small>(Birth–Death)</small>|colspan="2" style="width:35%;"|Term of office|style="width:29%;"|Notes|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
||**Bernardo de Velasco** **José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia** **Juan Valeriano de Zevallos**|16 May 1811|17 June 1811|align=left|Governor Intendants.|||||
||**Fulgencio Yegros** <small>(1780–1821)</small>|17 June 1811|12 October 1813|align=left|President of the Superior Governing Junta.|||||
||**José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia** <small>(1766–1840)</small>|12 October 1813|12 February 1814|align=left|Consul of the Republic.|||||
||**Fulgencio Yegros** <small>(1780–1821)</small>|12 February 1814|12 June 1814|align=left|Consul of the Republic.|||||
|rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;"||rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;"|**José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia** <small>(1766–1840)</small>|12 June 1814|3 October 1814|align=left|Consul of the Republic.|||
|3 October 1814|30 May 1816|align=left|Supreme Dictator.|||||||
|30 May 1816|20 September 1840|align=left|Perpetual Dictator. Died in office.|||||||
|style="height:100px; text-align:center;"||**Manuel Antonio Ortiz** <small>(?–?)</small>|20 September 1840|21 January 1841|align=left|President of the Provisional Junta.||||
|style="height:100px; text-align:center;"||**Juan José Medina** **José Gabriel Benítez** **José Campos**|21 January 1841|9 February 1841|align=left|Triumvirate.||||
|style="height:100px; text-align:center;"||**Mariano Roque Alonzo** <small>(?–1853)</small>|9 February 1841|12 March 1841|align=left|General Commander of Arms.||||
|style="height:100px; text-align:center;"|**|**Carlos Antonio López** **Mariano Roque Alonzo|12 March 1841|13 March 1844|align=left|Consuls of the Republic.||||

### Presidents (1844–present)

|style="width:2%;"|No.|style="width:5%;"|Portrait|style="width:20%;"|Name <small>(Birth–Death)</small>|colspan="2" style="width:35%;"|Term of office|style="width:5%;" colspan="2"|Party|style="width:4%;"|Election|style="width:29%;"|Notes|Vice President|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|rowspan=3||rowspan=3|**Carlos Antonio López** <small>(1792–1862)</small>|13 March 1844|13 March 1854|rowspan=3 style="background-color:"||rowspan=3|—|—|align=left|Elected by the Congress for a term of ten years.|rowspan=8||||
|13 March 1854|13 March 1857|—|align=left|Elected by the Congress for a term of three years.|||||||||||||
|13 March 1857|10 September 1862|—|align=left|Elected by the Congress for a term of ten years. Died in office.|||||||||||||
|rowspan=2||rowspan=2|**Francisco Solano López** <small>(1827–1870)</small>|style="height:50px;"|10 September 1862|16 October 1862|rowspan=2 style="background-color:"||rowspan=2|—|—|align=left|Interim President appointed by the Congress.||||
|16 October 1862|1 March 1870|—|align=left|Elected by the Congress for a term of ten years. Killed in the Paraguayan War.|||||||||||||
||**Cirilo Antonio Rivarola Carlos Loizaga José Díaz de Bedoya**|_15 August 1869_|_31 August 1870_|style="background-color:"||—|—|align=left|Triumvirate proclaimed by the occupying forces of the Triple Alliance.||||||||
||**Facundo Machaín** <small>(1845–1877)</small>|31 August 1870|1 September 1870|style="background-color:"||—|—|align=left|Interim President appointed by the Congress. Deposed in a _coup_.||||||||
|rowspan=4||rowspan=4|**Cirilo Antonio Rivarola** <small>(1836–1878)</small>|1 September 1870|25 November 1870|rowspan=4 style="background-color:"||rowspan=4|—|—|align=left|Interim President appointed by the Congress after a _coup_.|||||
|rowspan=3|25 November 1870|rowspan=3|18 December 1871|rowspan=3|1870|rowspan="3" style="text-align:left;"|Resigned.|Cayo Miltos|||||||||
|Salvador Jovellanos|||||||||||||||||
||**Salvador Jovellanos** <small>(1833–1881)</small>|18 December 1871|25 November 1874|style="background-color:"||—|—|align=left|Vice President under Cirilo Antonio Rivarola, assumed the presidency after his resignation. Finished the presidential period 1870-1874.||||||||
||**Juan Bautista Gill** <small>(1840–1877)</small>|25 November 1874|12 April 1877|style="background-color:"||—|1874|align=left|Assassinated.|Higinio Uriarte|||||||
||**Higinio Uriarte** <small>(1843–1909)</small>|12 April 1877|25 November 1878|style="background-color:"||—|—|align=left|Vice President under Juan Bautista Gill, assumed the presidency after his assassination. Finished the presidential period 1874-1878.||||||||
||**Cándido Bareiro** <small>(1833–1880)</small>|25 November 1878|4 September 1880|style="background-color:"||—|1878|align=left|Died in office.|Adolfo Saguier|||||||
|rowspan=2||rowspan=2|**Bernardino Caballero** <small>(1839–1912)</small>|4 September 1880|25 November 1882|rowspan=2 style="background-color:"||rowspan=2|—|—|align=left|Interim President appointed by the Congress after the Vice President under Bareiro, Adolfo Saguier, and next president in the succession line, was forced to resign by the military. Finished the presidential period 1878-1882.|||||
|style="height:50px;"|25 November 1882|25 November 1886|1882|align=left||Juan Antonio Jara|||||||||||
||**Patricio Escobar** <small>(1843–1912)</small>|25 November 1886|25 November 1890|style="background:red;||ANR-Colorado|1886|align=left||José del Rosario Miranda|||||||
||**Juan Gualberto González** <small>(1851–1912)</small>|25 November 1890|9 June 1894|style="background:red;||ANR-Colorado|1890|align=left|Forced to resign by a _coup_.|Marcos Morínigo|||||||
||**Marcos Morínigo** <small>(1848–1901)</small>|9 June 1894|25 November 1894|style="background:red;||ANR-Colorado|—|align=left|Vice President under Juan Gualberto González, assumed the presidency after his resignation. Finished the presidential period 1890-1894.||||||||
||**Juan Bautista Egusquiza** <small>(1845–1902)</small>|25 November 1894|25 November 1898|style="background:red;||ANR-Colorado|1894|align=left||Facundo Ynsfrán Caballero|||||||
||**Emilio Aceval** <small>(1853–1931)</small>|25 November 1898|9 January 1902|style="background:red;||ANR-Colorado|1898|align=left|Forced to resign by a _coup_.|Andrés Héctor Carvallo|||||||
||**Andrés Héctor Carvallo** <small>(1862–1934)</small>|9 January 1902|25 November 1902|style="background:red;||ANR-Colorado|—|align=left|Vice President under Emilio Aceval, assumed the presidency after his resignation. Finished the presidential period 1898-1902.||||||||
||**Juan Antonio Escurra** <small>(1859–1929)</small>|25 November 1902|19 December 1904|style="background:red;||ANR-Colorado|1902|align=left|Deposed in a _coup_.|Manuel Domínguez|||||||
|style="height:100px;"||**Juan Bautista Gaona** <small>(1845–1932)</small>|19 December 1904|9 December 1905|style="background:blue;||Liberal|—|align=left|Interim President appointed by the Congress after Escurra and his Vice President, Manuel Domínguez, resigned in the _coup_. Deposed in a _coup_.|rowspan=2||||||
||**Cecilio Báez** <small>(1862–1941)</small>|9 December 1905|25 November 1906|style="background:blue;||Liberal|—|align=left|Interim President appointed by the Congress. Finished the presidential period 1902-1906.||||||||
||**Benigno Ferreira** <small>(1946–1920)</small>|25 November 1906|4 July 1908|style="background:blue;||Liberal|1906|align=left|Deposed in a _coup_.|Emiliano González Navero|||||||
||**Emiliano González Navero** <small>(1861–1934)</small>|4 July 1908|25 November 1910|style="background:blue;||Liberal|—|align=left|Vice President under Benigno Ferreira, assumed the presidency after the _coup_. Finished the presidential period 1906-1910. First term.||||||||
||**Manuel Gondra** <small>(1871–1927)</small>|25 November 1910|17 January 1911|style="background:blue;||Liberal|1910|align=left|First term. Deposed in a _coup_.|Juan Bautista Gaona|||||||
|style="height:100px;"||**Albino Jara** <small>(1877–1912)</small>|17 January 1911|5 July 1911|style="background:blue;||Liberal|—|align=left|_De facto_ president after a _coup_. Resigned.|rowspan=6||||||
||**Liberato Marcial Rojas** <small>(1870–1922)</small>|5 July 1911|14 January 1912|style="background:blue;||Liberal|—|align=left|Interim President appointed by the Congress. Deposed in a _coup_.||||||||
||**Marcos Caballero Codas Mario Uscher Alfredo Aponte**|14 January 1912|17 January 1912|style="background-color:"||—|—|align=left|_De facto_ triumvirate after a _coup_.||||||||
||**Liberato Marcial Rojas** <small>(1870–1922)</small>|17 January 1912|28 February 1912|style="background:blue;||Liberal|—|align=left|Restoration of its original mandate. Deposed in a _coup_.||||||||
||**Pedro Pablo Peña** <small>(1864–1943)</small>|28 February 1912|22 March 1912|style="background:red;||ANR-Colorado|—|align=left|Interim President appointed by the Congress.  Deposed in a _coup_.||||||||
||**Emiliano González Navero** <small>(1861–1934)</small>|22 March 1912|15 August 1912|style="background:blue;||Liberal|—|align=left|Interim President appointed by the Congress. Second term.||||||||
||**Eduardo Schaerer** <small>(1873–1941)</small>|15 August 1912|15 August 1916|style="background:blue;||Liberal|1912|align=left||Pedro Bobadilla|||||||
||**Manuel Franco** <small>(1871–1919)</small>|15 August 1916|5 June 1919|style="background:blue;||Liberal|1916|align=left|Died in office.|José Pedro Montero|||||||
||**José Pedro Montero** <small>(1878–1927)</small>|5 June 1919|15 August 1920|style="background:blue;||Liberal|—|align=left|Vice President under Manuel Franco, assumed the presidency after his death. Finished the presidential period 1916-1920.||||||||
||**Manuel Gondra** <small>(1871–1927)</small>|15 August 1920|29 October 1921|style="background:blue;||Liberal|1920|align=left|Second term. Resigned.|Félix Paiva|||||||
||**Félix Paiva** <small>(1877–1965)</small>|29 October 1921|7 November 1921|style="background:blue;||Liberal|—|align=left|Vice President under Manuel Gondra, assumed the presidency after his resignation. First term. Resigned.|rowspan=4|||||||
||**Eusebio Ayala** <small>(1875–1942)</small>|7 November 1921|12 April 1923|style="background:blue;||Liberal|—|align=left|Interim President appointed by the Congress. First term. Resigned during in the Civil War of 1922.||||||||
||**Eligio Ayala** <small>(1879–1930)</small>|12 April 1923|17 March 1924|style="background:blue;||Liberal|—|align=left|Interim President appointed by the Congress. First term. Resigned.||||||||
||**Luis Alberto Riart** <small>(1880–1953)</small>|17 March 1924|15 August 1924|style="background:blue;||Liberal|—|align=left|Interim President appointed by the Congress. Finished the presidential period 1920-1924.||||||||
||**Eligio Ayala** <small>(1879–1930)</small>|15 August 1924|15 August 1928|style="background:blue;||Liberal|1924|align=left|Second term.|Manuel Burgos|||||||
||**José Patricio Guggiari** <small>(1884–1957)</small>|15 August 1928|25 October 1931|style="background:blue;||Liberal|1928|align=left|Resigned to stand an impeachment.|Emiliano González Navero|||||||
||**Emiliano González Navero** <small>(1861–1934)</small>|25 October 1931|27 January 1932|style="background:blue;||Liberal|—|align=left|Vice President under José Patricio Guggiari, assumed the presidency during his impeachment. Third term.||||||||
||**José Patricio Guggiari** <small>(1884–1957)</small>|27 January 1932|15 August 1932|style="background:blue;||Liberal|—|align=left|Restoration of its original mandate after being absolved from impeachment.|Emiliano González Navero|||||||
||**Eusebio Ayala** <small>(1875–1942)</small>|15 August 1932|17 February 1936|style="background:blue;||Liberal|1932|align=left|Second term. Paraguayan victory in the Chaco War. Deposed after the Febrerista Revolution.|Raúl Casal Ribeiro|||||||
|style="height:100px;"||**Rafael Franco** <small>(1896–1973)</small>|17 February 1936|13 August 1937|style="background:#C3B091||Military|—|align=left|_De facto_ president after a _coup_. Deposed after a _coup_.|rowspan=3||||||
|rowspan=2||rowspan=2|**Félix Paiva** <small>(1877–1965)</small>|13 August 1937|11 October 1938|rowspan=2 style="background:blue;||rowspan=2|Liberal|—|align=left|_De facto_ president after a _coup_.  Second term.|||||
|11 October 1938|15 August 1939|—|align=left|Interim President appointed by the Congress.|||||||||||||
|rowspan=3||rowspan=3|**José Félix Estigarribia** <small>(1888–1940)</small>|style="height:50px;"|15 August 1939|18 February 1940|rowspan=3 style="background:blue;||rowspan=3|Liberal|1939|align=left||Luis Alberto Riart|||
|rowspan=2|18 February 1940|rowspan=2|7 September 1940|rowspan=2|—|rowspan="2" style="text-align:left;"|_De facto_ president after a _self-coup_.  The new Constitution of 1940 increased the presidential term from 4 to 5 years, allowed a single consecutive reelection, removed the Electoral College and the Vice President post. Died in a plane crash.||||||||||
|rowspan=22|||||||||||||||||
|style="height:100px;" rowspan="2"||rowspan=2|**Higinio Morínigo** <small>(1897–1983)</small>|style="height:50px;"|7 September 1940|15 August 1943|rowspan=2 style="background-color:"||rowspan=2|—|—|align=left|Interim President appointed by the Congress. Finished the presidential period 1939-1943.||||
|style="height:50px;"|15 August 1943|3 June 1948|1943|align=left|Deposed in a _coup_.||||||||||||
|style="height:100px;"||**Juan Manuel Frutos** <small>(1879–1960)</small>|3 June 1948|15 August 1948|style="background:red;||ANR-Colorado|—|align=left|Interim President appointed by the Congress. Finished the presidential period 1943-1948.|||||||
|style="height:100px;"||**Juan Natalicio González** <small>(1897–1966)</small>|15 August 1948|30 January 1949|style="background:red;||ANR-Colorado|1948|align=left|Deposed in a _coup_.|||||||
||**Raimundo Rolón** <small>(1903–1981)</small>|30 January 1949|26 February 1949|style="background:red;||ANR-Colorado|—|align=left|Interim President appointed by the Congress. Deposed in a _coup_.||||||||
|rowspan=2||rowspan=2|**Felipe Molas López** <small>(1901–1954)</small>|26 February 1949|14 May 1949|rowspan=2 style="background:red;||rowspan=2|ANR-Colorado|—|align=left|_De facto_ president after a _coup_.|||||
|14 May 1949|11 September 1949|1949|align=left|Elected to finish the presidential period 1948-1953. Deposed in a _coup_.|||||||||||||
|style="height:100px;" rowspan="2"||rowspan=2|**Federico Chaves** <small>(1882–1978)</small>|style="height:50px;"|11 September 1949|15 August 1953|rowspan=2 style="background:red;||rowspan=2|ANR-Colorado|—|align=left|Interim President appointed by the Congress. Finished the presidential period 1948-1953.||||
|style="height:50px;"|15 August 1953|4 May 1954|1953|align=left|Deposed in a _coup d'état_.||||||||||||
|colspan=8|align=left|There was no president in this period.|||||||||||||||
||**Tomás Romero Pereira** <small>(1886–1982)</small>|8 May 1954|15 August 1954|style="background:red;||ANR-Colorado|—|align=left|Interim President appointed by the Congress.||||||||
|rowspan=8||rowspan=8|**Alfredo Stroessner** <small>(1912–2006)</small>|style="height:50px;"|15 August 1954|15 August 1958|rowspan=8 style="background:red;||rowspan=8|ANR-Colorado|1954|align=left|Elected to finish the presidential period 1953-1958.||||
|style="height:50px;"|15 August 1958|15 August 1963|1958|align=left|||||||||||||
|style="height:50px;"|15 August 1963|15 August 1968|1963|align=left|The new Constitution of 1967 allowed Stroessner to run for two more elections.||||||||||||
|style="height:50px;"|15 August 1968|15 August 1973|1968|align=left|||||||||||||
|style="height:50px;"|15 August 1973|15 August 1978|1973|align=left|The Constitutional Amendment of 1977 allowed indefinite reelections.||||||||||||
|style="height:50px;"|15 August 1978|15 August 1983|1978|align=left|||||||||||||
|style="height:50px;"|15 August 1983|15 August 1988|1983|align=left|||||||||||||
|style="height:50px;"|15 August 1988|3 February 1989|1988|align=left|Deposed in a _coup d'état_.||||||||||||
|rowspan=2||rowspan=2|**Andrés Rodríguez** <small>(1923–1997)</small>|style="height:50px;"|3 February 1989|15 May 1989|rowspan=2 style="background:red;||rowspan=2|ANR-Colorado|—|align=left|_De facto_ president after a _coup_.||||
|15 May 1989|15 August 1993|1989|align=left|The new Constitution of 1992 removed the possibility of reelection and reinstated the Vice President post. Elected to finish the presidential period 1988-1993.|||||||||||||
||**Juan Carlos Wasmosy** <small>(1938–)</small>|15 August 1993|15 August 1998|style="background:red;||ANR-Colorado|1993|align=left||Ángel Seifart|||||||
|rowspan=2||rowspan=2|**Raúl Cubas Grau** <small>(1943–)</small>|rowspan=2|15 August 1998|rowspan=2|28 March 1999|rowspan=2 style="background:red;||rowspan=2|ANR-Colorado|rowspan=2|1998|rowspan="2" style="text-align:left;"|Resigned as a result of the _Marzo paraguayo_.|Luis María Argaña|
|rowspan=2|||||||||||||||||
|rowspan=3||rowspan=3|**Luis Ángel González Macchi** <small>(1947–)</small>|rowspan=3|28 March 1999|rowspan=3|15 August 2003|rowspan=3 style="background:red;||rowspan=3|ANR-Colorado|rowspan=3|—|rowspan="3" style="text-align:left;"|President of the Senate, as the Vice President, Luis María Argaña, was assassinated 5 days before. Finished the presidential period 1998-2003.||
|Julio César Franco|||||||||||||||||
|rowspan=3||rowspan=3|**Nicanor Duarte** <small>(1956–)</small>|rowspan=3|15 August 2003|rowspan=3|15 August 2008|rowspan=3 style="background:red;||rowspan=3|ANR-Colorado|rowspan=3|2003|rowspan="3" style="text-align:left;"||Luis Alberto Castiglioni|
|Francisco Oviedo|||||||||||||||||
||**Fernando Lugo** <small>(1951–)</small>|15 August 2008|22 June 2012|style="background:#BA55D3;||Christian Democratic||2008|align=left|Impeached.|Federico Franco||||||
|rowspan=2||rowspan=2|**Federico Franco** <small>(1962–)</small>|rowspan=2|22 June 2012|rowspan=2|15 August 2013|rowspan=2 style="background:blue;||rowspan=2|Authentic Radical Liberal|rowspan=2|—|rowspan="2" style="text-align:left;"|Vice President under Fernando Lugo, assumed the presidency after his impeachment. Finished the presidential period 2008-2013.||
|Óscar Denis|||||||||||||||||
|rowspan=3||rowspan=3|**Horacio Cartes** <small>(1956–)</small>|rowspan=3|15 August 2013|rowspan=3|15 August 2018|rowspan=3 style="background:red;||rowspan=3|ANR-Colorado|rowspan=3|2013|rowspan="3" style="text-align:left;"||Juan Afara|
|Alicia Pucheta|||||||||||||||||
||**Mario Abdo Benítez** <small>(1971–)</small>|15 August 2018|15 August 2023|style="background:red;||ANR-Colorado|2018|align=left||Hugo Velázquez Moreno|||||||
||**Santiago Peña** <small>(1978–)</small>|15 August 2023|Incumbent|style="background:red;||ANR-Colorado|2023|align=left||Pedro Alliana|||||||

## Living former presidents

There are seven living former presidents. The most recent former president to die was Alfredo Stroessner (1963–1989), on 16 August 2006.

## Infobox (official post)

- **post**: President
- **body**: the
Republic of Paraguay
- **insignia**: Flag of the President of Paraguay.svg
- **insigniasize**: 200px
- **insigniacaption**: Standard of the President of the Republic
- **image**: Santiago Peña (cropped).jpg
- **imagesize**: 165px
- **incumbent**: Santiago Peña
- **incumbentsince**: 15 August 2023
- **style**: His Excellency
- **seat**: Palacio de los López
- **residence**: Mburuvicha Róga
- **appointer**: 2023 Paraguayan general election, Direct popular election
- **termlength**: Five years, non-renewable
- **inaugural**: Carlos Antonio López
- **formation**: 13 March 1844
- **deputy**: Vice President of Paraguay