Is Miguel Prieto Paraguay’s Next President?

The Ciudad del Este mayor is facing a corruption probe – and looking to 2028.

Miguel Prieto relinquishes control of Ciudad del Este city hall on June 23. (Municipalidad de Ciudad del Este)

A day-long downpour is pummelling Ciudad del Este, Paraguay’s bustling second city perched on the triple border with Argentina and Brazil.

But inside the former fast food joint that – as of a week ago – serves as the campaign headquarters of mayor Miguel Prieto and his Yo Creo movement, the mood is sunny.

Volunteers with ring-binders register groups of people arriving from across the country to pledge their support. “It’s a big celebration,” says one staffer.

If Yo Creo gathers 15,000 signatures, she explains, it can formally become a political party. They currently have 9,000 names. Many of the new sign-ups had no previous political affiliation. Half of them, according to Prieto’s team, were previously registered with the Colorado Party.

As if on cue, three teenagers and a middle-aged man turn up out of the rain. Ramón Fernandez, who has travelled six miles from the outskirts of the city, says he’s sick of Paraguay’s ruling party. “No-one trusts them anymore. That’s why I’ve switched.”

Then, there’s a ripple of excitement as Prieto arrives. The tall 36-year-old wears a bulky coat in the red, white and blue of Paraguay’s national tricolour and a gleaming smile.

The man who plans to be Paraguay’s next president presses the flesh and poses for photos before sitting down for an interview with The Paraguay Post.

“It’s a political persecution,” he says of the anti-corruption probe of his administration that began last week following a request by the Contraloría, Paraguay’s national audit office.

Prieto has been suspended from the mayoralty for up to 90 days while officials from Asunción – who have formally taken control of City Hall – dig into the paper trail.

Gross nepotism and overspending on municipal Christmas celebrations figure among the welter of allegations splashed across pro-government media like La Nación.

Yet Prieto, formerly a lawyer, emanates the steely nerve of a judo practitioner seeking his advantage against a lumbering larger opponent.

“I sense that this will only push our political career to new heights,” he predicts.

How has Ciudad del Este fared under Miguel Prieto? Is there any truth to the corruption allegations? Does he have a chance in 2028? And what would a Prieto presidency look like?

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