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. 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.
Structure
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. 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.
Partial list of first ladies
Portrait First Lady Tenure begins Tenure ends President of Paraguay Notes 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 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
External links
ABC Color: Galería de primeras damas paraguayas