Violent protests in Paraguay to demand the resignation of the president for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic

The Liberal Party, the largest opposition party in Paraguay, called for this Saturday a meeting of its board of directors in the face of the “shameful, brutal and arbitrary repression” of the police against the concentration this afternoon in front of Congress, in which hundreds of people, thousands according to other sources, protested against the management of the pandemic of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 by the Executive.

The Liberals announced in a statement that the meeting will provide a political position regarding these events, which occurred in front of Congress and later transferred to other streets in the Asunción microcenter, where the National Police used rubber bullets, gases and water trucks.

Hundreds of people remain in front of the Police Headquarters, on the perimeter of Congress, demanding to speak with the police officer to explain who ordered the protesters to be dispersed.

They also ask for the resignation of the country’s president, Mario Abdo Benitez, of the conservative Colorado Party.

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The incidents began about three hours after the start of the protest by citizens who had responded to a peaceful self-summons through the networks to show their fed up with the Government’s health policy in the context of the pandemic.

A policeman injured during the protests.

Police spokesmen told some local media that some protesters wounded some of the agents who cordoned off the Congress building and that the police response took place from there.

Some of the participants told other channels that a firecracker exploded near a policeman, followed by the order to disperse those gathered.

According to other reports, several were injured by rubber pellets, as well as some policemen from the stones thrown by the protesters.

Later, the crowd dispersed through several popular streets in the downtown area in the middle of races and clashes with the security forces.

Damages occurred in the area that have not yet been evaluated by the authorities.

Police officers try to calm the protesters during the protests in Asunción. (EFE / Nathalia Aguilar).

Several television networks reported that the president is meeting in the presidential residence with his political environment.

So far there is no statement from the Executive regarding the events, although a press conference by a government official was announced for Saturday.

LACK OF SUPPLIES, THE TRIGGER

The public call that preceded the incidents gathered discontent expressed this week by the nurses’ union, and supported by relatives of covid-19 patients, who denounced the lack of basic medicines in public health to face the pandemic.

These protests by staff in white led to the resignation this morning of the Minister of Health, Julio Mazzoleni, after meeting with Abdo Benítez.

The police try to break up a demonstration against the government of Mario Abdo Benítez. (EFE / Nathalia Aguilar).

This was one day after the Senate approved a non-binding statement calling for the resignation of Mazzoleni, and within a series of criticisms of a health management described by the opposition as negligent, improvised and inoperative.

Added to the discomfort of the public is the delay in the arrival of vaccines, which at the moment are limited to the 4,000 doses of Sputnik V that have already been applied, although only to health workers.

As well as several corruption scandals that have plagued the Government of Abdo Benítez, among them alleged irregularities in the bids for the purchase of supplies at the beginning of the pandemic in the country, a year ago.

Paraguay, with one of the most precarious public health systems in the region, registers some 3,200 deaths and more than 160,000 cases of coronavirus.

The cases have intensified in recent weeks, causing the health centers to overflow and highlighting the weakness of the health network.