Paraguay Suspended from Mercosur

Tensions between South American customs bloc Mercosur and suspended member Paraguay have again been on the rise, ahead of this week’s expected handover of the group’s rotating presidency to Venezuela. Paraguay’s president-elect Horacio Cartes has proposed that Mercosur instead give the bloc’s presidency over to his own country after he takes office in August.

“The government of [outgoing President Federico] Franco fully supports president-elect Cartes initiative, which is a matter of dignity for Paraguay, for Mercosur institutions and for the international standing of our regional group,” said Paraguayan Foreign Minister José Felix Fernández.

Paraguay’s membership has been under suspension since last year, as Mercosur considered the impeachment and ousting of previous President Fernando Lugo by the Paraguayan Senate to be “illegitimate.” In the meantime, the bloc’s other members - such as Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay - moved ahead to grant Venezuela full membership, a decision which Paraguay had been blocking for years.