First Lady of Paraguay

First Lady of Paraguay (Spanish: Primera Dama de Paraguay), also called First Lady of the Nation (Spanish: Primera Dama de la Nación), is the official post of the wife (or designated person) of the president of Paraguay.[1] The official workplace of the Paraguayan first lady is Mburuvicha Róga. The current first lady of Paraguay is Leticia Ocampos, wife of President Santiago Peña.[2]

First Lady of Paraguay
since 15 August 2023
StyleMadam
ResidenceMburuvicha Róga

Structure

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According to Paraguayan law, the Office of the First Lady of the Nation depends structurally and financially on the presidency of the republic. The first lady exercises her duties through the REPADEH (Red Paraguaya para el Desarrollo Humano) Foundation, focused mainly in social and health affairs.

With the exception of a 14-month period between 2012–2013, Paraguay did not have a president's wife as First Lady for a decade, between 2008 and 2018. As Fernando Lugo, who was elected President in 2008, was unmarried, he designated his elder sister, Mercedes Lugo, as First Lady.[1][3] After Lugo was impeached and succeeded by Federico Franco, Franco's wife Emilia Alfaro de Franco assumed the post; however, Franco's successor, Horacio Cartes, one day after assuming the presidency, ended the title of First Lady instead of handing it to his estranged wife, María Montaña de Cartes.[4][5]

Partial list of first ladies

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Portrait First Lady Tenure begins Tenure ends President of Paraguay Notes
 
Juana Pabla Carrillo [es] 1844 1862 Carlos Antonio López
 
Eliza Lynch 1862 1869 Francisco Solano López
Clara Recalde 1870 1870 Facundo Machaín
Vacant 1870 1871 Cirilo Antonio Rivarola
Ercilia Bogado 1871 1874 Salvador Jovellanos
María Concepción Díaz de Bedoya 1874 1877 Juan Bautista Gill
Etelvina Trinidad Mercedes Velilla 1877 1878 Higinio Uriarte
Atanasia Escato 1878 1880 Cándido Bareiro
María Concepción Díaz de Bedoya 1880 1886 Bernardino Caballero
Ramona Ignacia Garcete 1886 1890 Patricio Escobar
Rosa Peña Guanes 1890 1894 Juan Gualberto González
Ramona Bareiro Caballero 1894 1894 Marcos Morínigo
Casiana Isasi 1894 1898 Juan Bautista Egusquiza
Josefina Rivarola 1898 1902 Emilio Aceval
Margarita Salomoni 1902 1902 Andrés Héctor Carvallo
Josefa Rojas 1902 1904 Juan Antonio Escurra
Regina Corti Onetto 1904 1905 Juan Bautista Gaona
Marcelina Allende 1905 1906 Cecilio Báez
María del Carmen de la Mora Isasi 1906 – 1908 1908 Benigno Ferreira
Adela da Fontoura Lima 1908 1910 Emiliano González Navero
Emilia Victoria Alfaro 1910 1911 Manuel Gondra
Vacant August 15, 1916 June 5, 1919 Manuel Franco {unmarried)
Silvia Ester Heisecke August 16, 1937 August 15, 1939 Félix Paiva
Julia Miranda Cueto August 15, 1939 September 7, 1940 José Félix Estigarribia
Dolores Ferrari September 7, 1940 June 3, 1948 Higinio Morínigo
Escolástica Patiño (deceased prior to presidency) September 11, 1949 May 8, 1954 Federico Chávez (widowed)
Lilia Isabel Arza May 4, 1954 August 15, 1954 Tomás Romero Pereira
Ligia Stroessner [es] August 15, 1954 February 3, 1989 Alfredo Stroessner
Nélida Reig Castellanos February 3, 1989 August 15, 1993 Andrés Rodríguez Pedotti
María Teresa Carrasco August 15, 1993 August 15, 1998 Juan Carlos Wasmosy
Mirtha Leonor Gusinky August 15, 1998 March 29, 1999 Raúl Cubas Grau
Susana Galli Romañach March 29, 1999 August 15, 2003 Luis Ángel González Macchi
Gloria Penayo August 15, 2003 August 15, 2008 Nicanor Duarte Frutos
Vacant August 15, 2008 June 22, 2012 Fernando Lugo
Emilia Alfaro June 22, 2012 August 15, 2013 Federico Franco
Vacant August 15, 2013 August 15, 2018 Horacio Cartes
 
Silvana López Moreira August 15, 2018 August 15, 2023 Mario Abdo Benítez
 
Leticia Ocampos August 15, 2023 Present Santiago Peña

References

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  1. ^ a b Gonzalez de Bosio, Beatrz (2017-03-11). "Galería de primeras damas paraguayas". ABC Color. Archived from the original on 2021-02-26. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
  2. ^ "Leticia Ocampos: ¿quién es la esposa de Santiago Peña?" [Leticia Ocampos: who is Santiago Peña's wife?]. ABC Color (in Spanish). Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  3. ^ "Lugo nombra "primera dama" a su hermana". El Nuevo Diario. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Cartes pone fin al culebrón: Suprime Despacho de Primera Dama". Paraguay.com. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  5. ^ "La ex esposa, primera dama por un día". Última Hora. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
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(in Spanish)