Pedro Alliana became president of Paraguay on Friday following the impeachment of his predecessor over a massive banking crisis that locked almost half the country out of their accounts.
Senators appointed Alliana, the former vice president, shortly after voting to remove Santiago Pena over the chaotic collapse of a bank to which he had links.
Senate President Basilio Nunez declared Pena “guilty of poor performance in his duties” after 44 out of 45 senators voted in favour of impeachment, with one lawmaker absent.
Hundreds of people waiting outside Congress raucously celebrated his impeachment.
“Justice has been done. Now we want him to give us back our money and go to jail,” Jessica Aquino, 32, told AFP.
Paraguayan authorities placed the ex-leader under house arrest minutes after his removal, prosecutor Silvia Margarita Gonzalez Vester told reporters.
Alliana promised not to abandon the almost three million depositors, including pensioners, affected by Ueno Bank’s takeover amid insolvency concerns.
