Johanna Ortega insta a fortalecer la oposición para ir contra la “cúpula mafiosa”
National Deputy Johanna Ortega, as part of an agenda in Encarnación, met with candidates from alliances in the department, with the aim of supporting their candidacies. On the occasion, she stated that they will arrive strengthened and united for the October elections, in which they seek to achieve representation in 50% of the municipalities. She also urged maintaining unity to go against the "mafia ring" that has taken hold in the government.
During her tour of Encarnación, the national deputy for Asunción, Johanna Ortega, held meetings with candidates from alliances in Natalio and Encarnación, with the aim of strengthening and supporting their candidacies for the municipal elections on October 4. The congresswoman indicated that with this she begins a tour of the interior of the country, where she seeks to support opposition and alliance candidates.
Regarding the capital of the country, amid concern over the alliance, she stated: "In Asunción the team is consolidated; I, who was the other candidate who competed in those elections that we did based on polls, I am part of Soledad Núñez's command, I am part of those teams along with other colleagues, such as Eduardo Nakayama, Rocío Vallejo, Raúl Benítez, Rafael Filizzola. We are from different groups, from various parties, who are in this alliance," she said.
She also indicated that "the unity within the campaign accompanying Soledad; I can say it is concrete and palpable."
She highlighted the effort the opposition is making to achieve unity. "With a conviction that united we can face this ring that has become entrenched in power," she emphasized.
She reflected on the need to strengthen these processes also in the interior of the country. "Unfortunately, the national government prioritizes politically and partisanly those who are aligned with its interests. We are talking about mayors and municipal councils, and of course, it ignores cities where there are municipal governments in the hands of the opposition, at the national level, the case of Encarnación and Ciudad del Este," she lamented.
The opposition leader explained that this conflict between opposition mayors and the national government only generates neglect for local residents who await actions in their communities. She expressed that "it is a selfish government, because the abandonment is not towards the mayor, the abandonment is towards the citizens who are waiting for that response."
In that sense, she described the current situation as adverse. She specifically said: "We believe we are in a moment of adversity, a takeover of all organs, institutions, and powers of the State by a mafia ring. And that must be pointed out, regardless of parties, regardless of issues. There is a mafia ring of a few people who operate according to their interests, often to cover up and generate impunity for certain characters who today have a lot and enjoy a lot of power."
As an alternative, she proposes strengthening the opposition. "If the opposition were to conquer the greatest number of seats in municipal councils and mayoralties, in more than 50% of the country, which is our expectation, the national government will also not be able to abandon them because it will generate a cost for them," she stated.
"I believe that the key is that we achieve that change in at least 100 or 120 districts [...], so that we make a force of the people and the citizenry felt, that the government, whether or not of the same political stripe, has to respect," she added.
At another point, she also spoke about the hegemonic power exercised by a party. "There is a takeover with that majority as well; if we look at the JEM, the Council of the Judiciary, of course all the control bodies, the Prosecutor's Office; for the Comptroller's Office, slates are now being discussed made up of people very close to the President of the Republic; well, that was never seen throughout the transition," she questioned.
She concluded that, in that context, as an opposition, "the possibilities today with this representation in Congress are limited, despite the fact that we have constitutional guarantees. That does not mean that we will not continue denouncing and exercising our constitutional role, no matter how much of a minority we are," she reaffirmed.
She also recalled the complaints shelved by the Justice system. "Today the complaint that I filed along with seven other legislators against the President of the Republic is of course shelved by Emiliano Rolón, because he is complicit in this entire scheme of impunity that these politicians and this mafia ring enjoy today, but nothing lasts forever. I always say that if Stroessner was in power for 35 years, it still didn't last forever; it was 35 years that were terrible, but it had a limit, this will also have a limit," she stated.
Ortega further considered that Paraguayans have the possibility of reversing the current situation in October of this year and in the next elections in 2028.
"There is a fundamental exercise that the citizenry must do and that I believe has been diminished, it is the right of the citizenry to demonstrate, because whenever there was demonstration, sufficient and responsible citizen pressure (...) that majority is forced to listen," she concluded.
