Article 237 of “incompatibilities” of the National Constitution reads as follows; “The President of the Republic and the Vice President cannot hold public or private positions, paid or not, while they last in office. Neither can they exercise commerce, industry or any professional activity, and must dedicate themselves exclusively to their functions.
Despite this limitation, the president himself made his candidacy for the presidency of the ANR official last Wednesday. He did it through his twitter social network.
DUARTE
Marcelo Duarte, a former national senator for the Patria Querida party (PPQ), and a constitutional lawyer, stated that the President of the Republic cannot exercise any other function and, consequently, according to the provisions of article 237 of the National Constitution. That is, he can only dedicate himself to that function.
“Once his mandate is over, he can do whatever he wants. To politics, or public or private commercial activity. No problem, but as long as he’s president he can’t,” he stated.
VIOLATORS OF THE CONSTITUTION
Abdo Benítez, representing the Colorado ruling party, will face Horacio Cartes, former president of the Republic, who also aspires to the presidency of the ANR for his own movement (“Honor Colorado” –Chartism-) in the next elections.
Duarte, when asked about this fight between two actors who violated the National Constitution, considering that Cartes unsuccessfully tried an amendment to force his own re-election in 2017, replied that until now, there have been attempts to violate the Constitution.
“They have not materialized. Except in the case of Nicanor Duarte Frutos at the time. He was left behind in the legal process. But definitely the presidents of the Republic must understand that the most important position that our CN establishes for a single person. Because it is the general administrator of the Republic. Consequently, for a period of five years he cannot dedicate himself to any other activity”, he commented.
INSCRIPTION
At the beginning of June, Cartes, accompanied by the presidential badge of his movement, Santiago Peña and Pedro Alliana, went to register his candidacy for the presidency of the ANR.
This occurred just hours after the press had access to a report from the Secretariat for the Prevention of Money Laundering (Seprelad), which linked the former president to illicit business.
