President of Paraguay from 2018 to 2023
In this
Spanish name
, the first or paternal
surname
is
Abdo
and the second or maternal family name is
Benitez
.
Mario Abdo Benitez
(
Spanish pronunciation:
[?ma.?jo
?aβ.ðo
βe?ni.tes]
; born 10
November 1971)
[1]
[2]
is a
Paraguayan
politician who served as the 51st
president of Paraguay
from 2018 to 2023.
[3]
He was previously a
senator
and served as
president of the Senate of Paraguay
from 2015 to 2016.
[4]
Early life and education
[
edit
]
Abdo Benitez was born in
Asuncion
on 10 November 1971 and is the son of Ruth Benitez Perrier and Mario Abdo Benitez Sr.
[5]
[6]
His father's ancestry is
Lebanese
.
[7]
[8]
His father was a member of the so-called "
Cuatrinomio de Oro
", four of the politicians who were deemed to be closest to then-President
Alfredo Stroessner
, who ruled Paraguay for 35 years.
At 16 years old, Abdo Benitez moved to the
United States
.
[9]
He then completed his university studies at
Teikyo Post University
in
Waterbury
,
Connecticut
, obtaining a degree in marketing.
[2]
Upon completion of his secondary schooling in 1989 he joined the
Paraguayan Armed Forces
, obtaining the rank of Second Lieutenant of Reserve Aviation and in turn was appointed by the Air Force Command as a
paratrooper
.
[2]
Early political career
[
edit
]
His first steps in politics were in 2005 as a member of the Republican National Reconstruction movement.
[2]
He was later a member of the Peace and Progress movement and won the Vice Presidency of the Colorado Party in 2005.
[2]
In June 2015, he was elected president of the
Senate of Paraguay
.
[4]
[2]
[10]
Abdo Benitez has faced criticism for his relationship with the
military dictatorship
of
Alfredo Stroessner
, as his father was Stroessner's private secretary.
[3]
[11]
[12]
When Stroessner died in 2006, Abdo Benitez was one of the pallbearers at his funeral in
Brasilia
, and Abdo Benitez later proposed that the Governing Board of the Colorado Party pay tribute to Stroessner.
[11]
The fortune Abdo Benitez owns was inherited from his father, who after the fall of the dictatorship was prosecuted for illicit enrichment, but the case was eventually dismissed.
[11]
Abdo Benitez has stated that while he believes that Stroessner "did a lot for the country", he also clarified that he does not condone the violations of human rights, torture and persecution committed during the regime.
[11]
[13]
[14]
Presidency
[
edit
]
Election
[
edit
]
In December 2017, Abdo Benitez won the Colorado Party presidential primaries by defeating former Minister of Finance
Santiago Pena
with 564,811 votes (50.93%) to 480,114 (43.29%).
[15]
In April 2018, Abdo Benitez won the
2018 elections
by defeating
Efrain Alegre
, with 46.46% of the votes to Alegre's 42.73%.
[16]
[3]
At 46 years of age Benitez became, by a mere month's margin to
Nicanor Duarte
, the youngest President of Paraguay since Alfredo Stroessner, at 41, assumed power in 1954.
[17]
Abdo Benitez was inaugurated as president on August 15, 2018. His predecessor
Horacio Cartes
, with whom he was in conflict, was not present at the ceremony.
[18]
Domestic policy
[
edit
]
He supported the reform of the
judicial system
, considered
corrupt
. Like his opponent at the elections Alegre, he opposes the legalization of
abortion
and
same-sex marriage
, though he stated to be "open" to a "debate" on abortion.
[19]
In mid-2019, he faced the possibility of an
impeachment
procedure for having signed an agreement with
Brazilian President
Jair Bolsonaro
on the
Itaipu Dam
, which was considered to be clearly unfavourable for Paraguay. He finally had this agreement cancelled, defusing the impeachment process.
[20]
On economic issues, Abdo Benitez's government continues the policy pursued for a century in favor of large landowners.
[21]
Abdo Benitez's government designed a tax reform that was approved by Congress in September 2019.
[22]
In 2019, the Paraguayan economy went into recession.
[23]
One year after taking office, the government has experienced a high rate of disapproval of its management (69.3% in August 2019).
[24]
As a result, the phrase "Desastre ko Marito" (a mixture of
Guarani
and
Spanish
roughly meaning "Marito is a disaster") became widespread in use,
[25]
spawning merchandising.
[26]
Abdo Benitez has jokingly referenced the phrase on occasion.
[27]
In June 2022, 81% of those polled rated President Mario Abdo Benitez negatively. On the other hand, some 70% of those polled believe that Paraguay "needs profound changes", 19% think that Paraguay needs stability and 9% that the country needs moderate changes.
[28]
Foreign policy
[
edit
]
In September 2018, he annulled the decision of his predecessor to transfer the Paraguayan embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, stating that he had not been consulted, and declared that he had taken this decision believing it to "contribute to the intensification of regional and international diplomatic efforts in the goal of achieving an enlarged, just and lasting peace in the Middle East".
[29]
This decision led to tensions with the Israeli government, which responded by closing its embassy in Paraguay.
[30]
In January 2019, he broke off diplomatic relations with
Venezuela
and recognized Venezuelan opposition leader and
National Assembly
President
Juan Guaido
as President of the country. He received Guaido at the presidential palace in Asuncion.
[31]
Personal life
[
edit
]
His first marriage was to Fatima Maria Diaz, with whom he had two sons.
[11]
Following their divorce, he married
Silvana Lopez Moreira
,
[11]
with whom he has one son.
[32]
Honors
[
edit
]
Benitez was awarded the
Order of Brilliant Jade
with Grand Cordon by
President of the Republic of China
Tsai Ing-wen
on 8 October 2018.
[33]
During the ceremony, Tsai mentioned the role that Benitez's father held in the Stroessner government, which established
bilateral relations
.
[34]
[35]
Also he was awarded the
Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
with Grand Cordon by the President of the Italian Republic on 19 January 2023.
[36]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Marito renuncia al Senado para dedicarse a la campana electoral"
[Marito resigns to the Senate to dedicate himself to the electoral campaign].
Ultima Hora
(in Spanish). 1 March 2018
. Retrieved
23 August
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"Quien es quien en la puja de ANR por la chapa: las carreras de Pena y Marito"
[Who is who in the ANR bid for the ticket: the careers of Pena and Marito].
Hoy
(in Spanish). 17 December 2017
. Retrieved
2 April
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Mario Abdo Benitez wins Paraguay's presidential election"
. BBC News. 23 April 2018
. Retrieved
23 April
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"Mario Abdo Benitez es electo presidente del Congreso"
[Mario Abdo Benitez is elected president of Congress].
Ultima Hora
(in Spanish). 16 June 2015
. Retrieved
12 February
2018
.
- ^
Lloret, Rodrigo (22 April 2018).
"El "hijo" del dictador Stroessner"
[The "son" of the dictator Stroessner].
Perfil
(in Spanish)
. Retrieved
4 March
2019
.
- ^
"
"Yo vengo para ser el cerrucho mas grande de Paraguay..."
"
[I come to change the reality of Paraguay ...].
ABC Color
(in Spanish). 8 April 2018
. Retrieved
23 August
2018
.
- ^
"Mario Abdo Benitez, d'origine libanaise, elu president du Paraguay"
[Mario Abdo Benitez, of Lebanese origin, elected President of Paraguay].
L'orient le jour.com
(in French)
. Retrieved
5 September
2018
.
- ^
?? ????? ???? ???????? ?????? : ?? ?? ??? ?????? ??????????
[Among them the new President of Paraguay: Who are the Arabs of Latin America?].
BBC News ????
(in Arabic). BBC News: Arabic
. Retrieved
5 September
2018
.
- ^
"Paraguay ex-dictator aide's son in power"
. BBC News. 16 August 2018
. Retrieved
4 March
2019
.
- ^
"Expresidentes del Senado"
. 28 January 2019. Archived from
the original
on 28 January 2019.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"Mario Abdo Benitez, un "hijo del stronismo" en carrera"
[Mario Abdo Benitez, a "son of stronismo" in career].
ABC Color
(in Spanish). 15 May 2017
. Retrieved
2 April
2018
.
- ^
"Abdo Benitez resalta obras del stronismo y el progreso del pais gracias a la ANR"
[Abdo Benitez highlights works of the stronismo and the progress of the country thanks to the ANR].
Ultima Hora
(in Spanish). 24 January 2018
. Retrieved
2 April
2018
.
- ^
"Mario Abdo y su vinculo con Stroessner: "Uno no elige donde nacer"
"
[Mario Abdo and his link with Stroessner: "One does not choose where to be born"].
Ultima Hora
(in Spanish). 12 October 2017
. Retrieved
2 April
2018
.
- ^
Blair, Laurence (24 April 2018).
"Paraguay election: Mario Abdo Benitez victory recalls brutal dictatorship"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
4 March
2019
.
- ^
"En un duro reves para Horacio Cartes, un senador disidente gano las primarias presidenciales en Paraguay"
[In a hard setback for Horacio Cartes, a dissident senator won the presidential primaries in Paraguay].
Infobae
(in Spanish). 18 December 2017
. Retrieved
10 February
2018
.
- ^
Carneri, Santi; Londono, Ernesto (22 April 2018).
"His Father Aided a Dictator. Paraguay Elected Him President"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
4 March
2019
.
- ^
"Paraguay elige presidente a un 'joven' conservador ligado familiarmente a la dictadura"
[Paraguay elects a 'young' conservative linked to the dictatorship president].
HuffPost
(in Spanish). 23 April 2018
. Retrieved
23 August
2018
.
- ^
"Benitez, un enfant de la dictature, au pouvoir au Paraguay"
[Benitez, a child of the dictatorship, in power in Paraguay].
Courrier International
(in French). 15 August 2018. Archived from
the original
on 16 August 2018
. Retrieved
15 August
2018
.
- ^
"Paraguay: le conservateur Abdo Benitez favori face a Alegre"
[Paraguay: conservative Abdo Benitez favorite against Alegre].
Boursorama
(in French). 22 April 2018
. Retrieved
22 April
2018
.
- ^
Carneri, Santi (1 August 2019).
"Paraguay anula el acuerdo energetico con Brasil que amenazaba con hacer caer el Gobierno"
[Paraguay cancels the energy agreement with Brazil that threatened to bring down the government].
El Pais
(in Spanish)
. Retrieved
22 January
2020
.
- ^
"L'or vert et l'or bleu empoisonnent le Paraguay, troisieme exportateur de soja au monde"
[Green and blue gold poisons Paraguay, the world's third-largest soybean exporter].
Espaces Latinos
(in French). 15 December 2018
. Retrieved
22 January
2020
.
- ^
"Desde el 1 de enero regiran subas de tasas y los nuevos impuestos"
[Rate increases and new taxes will apply from 1 January].
Ultima Hora
(in Spanish). 26 September 2019
. Retrieved
22 January
2020
.
- ^
"Paraguay cayo en una recesion economica tecnica, confirma BCP"
[Paraguay fell into a technical economic recession,
BCP
confirms].
La Nacion
(in Spanish). 1 October 2019
. Retrieved
22 January
2020
.
- ^
"Abdo Benitez cumple un ano de gobierno con altos indices de desaprobacion"
[Abdo Benitez celebrates a year of government with high disapproval rates].
Telam
(in Spanish). 14 August 2019
. Retrieved
22 January
2020
.
- ^
"Desastre ko Marito, la popular frase humoristica que al parecer refleja la realidad"
[Desastre ko Marito, the popular humorous phrase that apparently reflects reality].
Coprofam.org
(in Spanish). 31 July 2019
. Retrieved
4 February
2020
.
- ^
"Una frase que "trasciende fronteras": el marketing detras del "Desastre ko Marito"
"
[A phrase that "transcends borders": the marketing behind "Desastre ko Marito"].
Hoy
(in Spanish). 13 September 2019
. Retrieved
4 February
2020
.
- ^
"
"Desastre ko Marito", dijo ¡el propio Marito!"
["Desastre ko Marito", said Marito himself!].
Cronica
(in Spanish). 26 October 2019
. Retrieved
4 February
2020
.
- ^
"81% de encuestados ven como negativa la imagen de Abdo Benitez"
. 12 June 2022.
- ^
"Le Paraguay transfere a nouveau son ambassade en Israel a Tel Aviv"
[Paraguay transfers its embassy in Israel to Tel Aviv again].
Europe 1
(in French). 6 September 2018
. Retrieved
6 September
2018
.
- ^
"Paraguay reabre la embajada en Tel Aviv cuatro meses despues de trasladarla a Jerusalen"
[Paraguay reopens the embassy in Tel Aviv four months after moving it to Jerusalem].
El Pais
(in Spanish). 5 September 2018
. Retrieved
6 September
2018
.
- ^
"Mario Abdo expresa su apoyo a Juan Guaido"
[Mario Abdo expresses his support for Juan Guaido].
Ultima Hora
(in Spanish). 23 January 2019
. Retrieved
23 January
2020
.
- ^
"Silvana Lopez Moreira, la primera dama"
[Silvana Lopez Moreira, the First Lady].
Ultima Hora
(in Spanish). 15 August 2018
. Retrieved
10 March
2019
.
- ^
"Taiwan, Paraguay sign joint statement pledging to deepen ties"
.
Taiwan Today
. 9 October 2018
. Retrieved
23 April
2020
.
- ^
Ko, Lin; Yeh, Su-ping (8 October 2018).
"Tsai bestows honor on Paraguayan president"
. Central News Agency
. Retrieved
23 April
2020
.
- ^
"President Tsai decorates Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benitez, hosts state dinner"
. Office of the President, Republic of China. 8 October 2018
. Retrieved
23 April
2020
.
- ^
Quirinale website
External links
[
edit
]
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Italics
indicate acting, interim or provisional role.
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