Despite having a majority in the Upper House (27 of 45 senators), legislators had to postpone the analysis of the “Protocol for the elimination of illicit trade in tobacco products” last Thursday. This, due to the lack of votes for its approval (only 23 were needed).
The project received media attention due to the lobby generated by José Ortiz, president of Tabacaleras del Este SA to achieve the rejection of the initiative. It should be remembered that Ortiz is a businessman close to Horacio Cartes, former president of the Republic and leader of the Honor Colorado movement of the ANR.
MARTINEZ
Esperanza Martínez, senator for the Guasu Front, and one of the voters for the postponement, expressed that her party is a great defender of the traceability project, but pointed out that it was deliberately placed on the last day of sessions (for Thursday) to to be rejected in plenary session.
“We articulate to postpone to 2022, to see if we reach a majority there, or if it is not taken advantage of that there are other controversial issues so that it is rejected without drawing attention,” he commented.
He stressed that next year there will be more political confrontations, since the red presidential internal elections will take place, and with this it is expected to be able to reach the votes for the approval of the document.
“What was wanted was to eliminate without any type of debate. Instead, next year we will discuss again. We can do a series of things in order to obtain the necessary votes, “he said.
When asked about the parliamentarians and opposition parties “satellites” that revolve around Chartism, she affirmed that many parties that belong to the opposition are strategic allies of Horacio Cartes.
“The opposition is a very genetic term in Paraguay. There are parties not related to the Colorado Party, such as the Liberal Party, Patria Querida and Hagamos that very often coincide with the Government or with Cartes ”, he questioned.
He recalled that the only occasion that they coincided with Chartism was when they supported the amendment was so that Fernando Lugo could again be a candidate for the presidency of the Republic in 2017.
ACOSTA
Édgar Acosta, national deputy for the PLRA, pointed out that there are items that obviously matter too much to Horacio Cartes, alluding to tobacco and football. He clarified that his projects are never directed against a particular person.
“He has many friends and a power outside the ANR. I don’t want to name anyone. The speech supports everything, but not the votes ”, he reflected in the sense that any parliamentarian can say what he wants, but in the end, he demonstrates his interests with his votes.
IMPROVEMENT
For Acosta, not everything is bad. He stressed that, during the last municipal elections, a large opposition bloc was formed for the mayor of Asunción, and that this represents a good sign with a view to 2023. In addition, he warned that the Colorado Party has to fall so that the most recent projects can be approved. questioned, since, regardless of who is the winner of the red inmates, the situation will not change.
“Regardless of who is from the ANR, this is not going to advance. That party has to fall so that this can be controlled ”, he said.
RED
Sergio Rojas, a liberal deputy, was not as radical as his predecessors. He pointed out that there may be transitory agreements with different political sectors, due to the very dynamics of a collegiate body.
“The construction of majorities leads to alliances with sectors of other political parties. Within the mass parties different visions of society, thoughts and criteria coexist. Deconstruction of the exercise of political power, within this dynamic there may be deep coincidences or differences ”, he mentioned.
BUZARQUIS
Salyn Buzarquis, national senator for the PLRA, asked the Ministry of Public Health to comment on the document. So do other organizations to lobby for approval.
“If we tried and lost, we went to the oven. We are operating to have that majority in March. The tobacco sector is a sector that has many influences in different sectors and parties ”, he commented.
He said that there are many “satellite” parliamentarians of Cartes in various benches, but did not want to specify names.
“As the saying goes; A powerful gentleman is gift money, a sector that has many influences ”, he sentenced.
EMBLEMATIC CASES
In addition to the postponement of the “Protocol for the Elimination of Illicit Trade”, the opposition was key in other momentous occasions where Chartism was going to be harmed.
In the request for intervention against the Central Government, six Liberals were absent despite the fact that it was the Liberal councilors themselves who initiated the process.
Last August, the Chamber of Deputies approved a bill that refuses to include soccer clubs and tobacco companies in the controls of the Secretariat for the Prevention of Money or Property Laundering (Seprelad).
While in May 2020, the Senate discussed the increase in taxes on tobacco, soy, and alcoholic beverages. However, a red bloc that had the support of the liberals, Patria Querida and Hagamos, ended up sending the initiative to the archive. This, just to cite some of the most emblematic cases.
