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The Most Famous

POLITICIANS from Paraguay

This page contains a list of the greatest Paraguayan Politicians. The pantheon dataset contains 15,577 Politicians, 41 of which were born in Paraguay. This makes Paraguay the birth place of the 70th most number of Politicians behind Mongolia and Kazakhstan.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Paraguayan Politicians of all time. This list of famous Paraguayan Politicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Paraguayan Politicians.

1. Alfredo Stroessner (1912 - 2006)

With an HPI of 69.03, Alfredo Stroessner is the most famous Paraguayan Politician. His biography has been translated into 59 different languages on wikipedia.

Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda (Spanish: [alˈfɾeðo estɾozˈneɾ]; 3 November 1912 – 16 August 2006) was a Paraguayan army officer and dictator who served as President of Paraguay from 15 August 1954 to 3 February 1989. Stroessner led a coup d'état on 4 May 1954 with the support of the army and the Colorado Party, with which he was affiliated. After a brief provisional government headed by Tomás Romero Pereira, he was the Colorado Party's presidential candidate for the 1954 general election, and was elected unopposed since all other parties were banned. He officially assumed the presidency on 15 August 1954, quickly suspended constitutional and civil rights, and began a period of harsh repression with the support of the army and the military police (which also served as a secret or political police) against anyone who opposed his authoritarian rule. Even when opposition parties were legalized in 1962, they were barely tolerated, and the repression continued. On 25 August 1967, he introduced a new constitution enabling him to re-elect himself; in 1977 he modified that constitution to permit himself to be re-elected indefinitely. He was fraudulently re-elected seven times from 1958 until 1988; approximately six months after the 1988 general election, he was overthrown in the coup d'état of 2 and 3 February 1989, led by his most trusted confidant, Major General Andrés Rodríguez Pedotti, with the support of the army. On 5 February 1989, just two days after the coup, Stroessner was exiled to Brazil, where he spent the last 17 years of his life. He died at 11:20 AM on 16 August 2006 at the Santa Luzia Hospital in Brasilia from septic shock due to complications from pneumonia. He was veiled in a strict private ceremony, and finally buried in the Campo da Esperança Cemetery.

2. Francisco Solano López (1827 - 1870)

With an HPI of 64.48, Francisco Solano López is the 2nd most famous Paraguayan Politician. His biography has been translated into 41 different languages.

Francisco Solano López Carrillo (24 July 1826 – 1 March 1870) was President of Paraguay from 1862 until his death in 1870. He was the eldest son of Juana Pabla Carrillo and of President Carlos Antonio López, Francisco's predecessor. At a very young age he served in the Paraguayan Army fighting against Juan Manuel de Rosas in the sporadic hostilities sustained by Paraguay and Argentina during the Platine Wars. After the downfall of Rosas, he became Ambassador of Paraguay, as Minister Plenipotentiary, in several European countries from 1853 to 1855. At his return in Asunción, he was appointed Vice-President of the Supreme Government of his father Carlos, and then assumed the presidency when his father died. He is one of the most controversial figures in South American history, particularly because of the Paraguayan War, known in the Plate Basin as "the War of the Triple Alliance" (Spanish: la Guerra de la Triple Alianza). From one perspective, his ambitions were the main reason for the outbreak of the war while other arguments maintain he was a fierce champion of the independence of South American nations against foreign rule and interests. He fought until the very end and was killed in action during the Battle of Cerro Corá, which marked the end of the war.

3. José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia (1766 - 1840)

With an HPI of 59.28, José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia is the 3rd most famous Paraguayan Politician. His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia y Velasco (Spanish pronunciation: [xoˈse ɣasˈpaɾ roˈðɾiɣes ðe ˈfɾansia]) (6 January 1766 – 20 September 1840) was a Paraguayan lawyer and politician, and the first dictator (1814–1840) of Paraguay following its 1811 independence from the Spanish Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. His official title was "Supreme and Perpetual Dictator of Paraguay", but he was popularly known as El Supremo. He is considered to be the chief ideologue and political leader of the faction that advocated for the full independence of Paraguay from the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata and from the Empire of Brazil.

4. Carlos Antonio López (1792 - 1862)

With an HPI of 56.96, Carlos Antonio López is the 4th most famous Paraguayan Politician. His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Carlos Antonio López Ynsfrán (November 4, 1792 – September 10, 1862) served as leader of Paraguay from 1841 to 1862.

5. Fernando Lugo (1951 - )

With an HPI of 56.87, Fernando Lugo is the 5th most famous Paraguayan Politician. His biography has been translated into 56 different languages.

Fernando Armindo Lugo Méndez (Spanish pronunciation: [feɾˈnando aɾˈmindo ˈluɣo ˈmendes]; born 30 May 1951) is a Paraguayan politician and laicized Catholic bishop who was President of Paraguay from 2008 to 2012. Previously he was a Roman Catholic priest and bishop, serving as Bishop of the Diocese of San Pedro from 1994 to 2005. He was elected as president in 2008, an election that ended 61 years of rule by the Colorado Party.In 2012, he was removed from office through an impeachment process that neighboring countries deemed a coup d'état. He was elected to the Senate of Paraguay in the 2013 general election.

6. Andrés Rodríguez (1923 - 1997)

With an HPI of 54.79, Andrés Rodríguez is the 6th most famous Paraguayan Politician. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Andrés Rodríguez Pedotti (June 19, 1924 – April 21, 1997) was a military officer and politician, being President of Paraguay from February 3, 1989, to August 15, 1993. He led the coup d'état on February 2 and 3, 1989, against the dictator Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda.

7. Horacio Cartes (1956 - )

With an HPI of 53.76, Horacio Cartes is the 7th most famous Paraguayan Politician. His biography has been translated into 64 different languages.

Horacio Manuel Cartes Jara (born 5 July 1956) is a Paraguayan politician and businessman who is serving as president of the Colorado Party since 2023, having previously served as president of Paraguay from 2013 to 2018. Cartes owned about two dozen businesses in his Grupo Cartes conglomerate until he leaved the conglomerate in 2023, including tobacco, soft drinks, meat production, and banking. He was president of Club Libertad football club from 2001 until 2012, and president of the national team inside the Paraguayan Football Association during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification. Between 2022 and 2023, he was both sanctioned and classified as "significantly corrupt" by the United States, which accuses him of involvement in transnational crime and terrorist organizations.

8. José Félix Estigarribia (1888 - 1940)

With an HPI of 52.72, José Félix Estigarribia is the 8th most famous Paraguayan Politician. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

José Félix Estigarribia Insaurralde (February 21, 1888 in Caraguatay – September 7, 1940 in Altos) was a Paraguayan military officer, politician and president. He was Commander in Chief of the Paraguayan Army during the Chaco War (1932-1935), and later served as President of Paraguay from August 15, 1939, until his death in a plane crash on September 7, 1940. He is known for being one of the military officers of the Paraguayan Army who led Paraguay to victory in the Chaco War against Bolivia, having been an excellent military strategist during the conflict and becoming a war hero, being posthumously promoted to the rank of Field Marshal by Decree-Law No. 2984 of the Government of Higinio Morínigo, in date September 7, 1940.

9. Juan Carlos Wasmosy (1938 - )

With an HPI of 52.27, Juan Carlos Wasmosy is the 9th most famous Paraguayan Politician. His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Juan Carlos Wasmosy Monti (born December 15, 1938) was the president of Paraguay from August 15, 1993 until August 15, 1998. He was a member of the Colorado Party, and the country's first freely elected president, as well as the first civilian president in 39 years.

10. Federico Chávez (1882 - 1978)

With an HPI of 51.95, Federico Chávez is the 10th most famous Paraguayan Politician. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Federico Chávez Careaga (February 15, 1882 – April 24, 1978) was a Paraguayan politician and soldier who served as President of Paraguay from September 10, 1949, to May 4, 1954. He was a member of the Colorado Party.

People

Pantheon has 41 people classified as politicians born between 1766 and 1971. Of these 41, 8 (19.51%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living politicians include Fernando Lugo, Horacio Cartes, and Juan Carlos Wasmosy. The most famous deceased politicians include Alfredo Stroessner, Francisco Solano López, and José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia. As of April 2022, 2 new politicians have been added to Pantheon including Juan Manuel Frutos and Felipe Molas López.