Paraguay
Marco Riquelme avoids defining himself amid Honor Colorado's dispute over the 2028 ticket
The Minister of Industry and Commerce declined to confirm or deny reports placing him alongside Pedro Alliana. He also reaffirmed that maquila will remain at a 1% rate during this administration.
Honor Colorado is going through an internal dispute over the definition of the presidential ticket for 2028 and, in that context, the name of Marco Riquelme appears among the reports about a possible vice presidential candidacy alongside Pedro Alliana.
According to ABC Color, the Minister of Industry and Commerce was asked about that possibility before attending the dinner marking the 90th anniversary of the Paraguayan Industrial Union, but he avoided answering directly. “Today the protagonist is industry, it is the UIP that is celebrating its birthday,” he said, without confirming or denying the rumors.
During that event, Riquelme also spoke about his relationship with President Santiago Peña, whom he said he maintains a good relationship with. He also said that both would share three announcements for the industrial sector during the evening.
According to ABC Color, the minister again focused on macroeconomic stability and said predictability is key for industry. In that context, he acknowledged as a negative figure the balance of trade in manufactured products within Mercosur, which shows a deficit of 3,000 million dollars for Paraguay.
Regarding the measures prepared for the UIP anniversary dinner, he said they would be a law, a decree and what he described as “a product” for industrialists, although he gave no further details.
In relation to the maquila regime, Riquelme stated, according to ABC Color, that the tax will remain at 1% throughout the current administration. He also said he spoke with the head of the DNIT, Óscar Orué, after his remarks about reviewing existing incentives, but clarified that this review will not affect maquila, but rather other benefits administered by different areas of the Government.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with assistance from artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not do its own reporting on this event.
