Asunción, Aug 10 (EFE).- With the colors of its flag dressing different places in the country’s capital, Paraguay is preparing to celebrate the inauguration of Santiago Peña as president and the 486th anniversary of Asunción.
Flags of different sizes adorn buildings and squares near the historic Palacio de López, whose construction began in 1857 and in which materials brought there from different parts of the country were used.
It will be there where Peña will work until 2028 after winning the elections held on April 30, in which he obtained 1,292,079 votes.
Dance, theater, entrepreneur fairs and concerts are some of the activities that are already taking place and that will last for several days in the capital.
The inauguration of the president
With the presence of various heads of state at official acts, Peña will be inaugurated next Tuesday in a day in which various activities will be held.
It is expected that at least six leaders and 100 foreign delegations will attend the swearing-in ceremony, according to information provided by the coordinating commission for transmission of command activities.
The Argentine Alberto Fernández, the Bolivian Luis Arce, the Brazilian Luiz Inácio Lula de Silva, the Chilean Gabriel Boric and the Uruguayan Luis Lacalle Pou are presidents who have already confirmed that they will attend.
Also in Paraguay will be King Felipe VI of Spain, the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves; the Vice President of Ecuador, Alfredo Borrero; the Vice President of Taiwan, William Lai; the vice president of El Salvador, Félix Ulloa, and the president of the House of Representatives of the Moroccan Parliament, Rachid Talbi Alami.
The Bicameral Chamber of the National Congress will receive from 7:00 local time (11:00 GMT) the Solemn Session of the National Congress, which will later enter an intermediate room for its members to move to the Official Box of the Explanada de la Bahía of the Lopez Palace.
There, Peña and Pedro Alliana will be sworn in as President and Vice President of the Republic, respectively.
Then, the beginning of a new Constitutional Period and the anniversary of Asunción will be celebrated with the Solemn Te Deum in the Metropolitan Cathedral, the main Catholic temple of the capital and the first diocese of the Río de la Plata.
Inaugurated in 1845, this temple is dedicated to the Virgen de la Asunción, patron saint of the capital, and has a high altar covered in silver, according to official information.
Later, Peña together with the first lady, Leticia Ocampos, will greet the heads of the missions and delegations that arrive in Paraguay to accompany the event, while they will offer lunch at the presidential residence.
Parade, fair and show
In the afternoon, a military and police parade will honor the leaders and the anniversary of Asunción, which at night will live an artistic show on the city’s waterfront.
It will be in that place where the entrepreneurs fair will also take place, promoted on his Instagram account by Ocampos, who remarked that from the first day of his management he will put “the creativity and effort of entrepreneurs and artisans” in the foreground. .
Finally, the day will close with an artistic show motivated by the start of a new presidential term and in commemoration of the anniversary of the foundation of Asunción.
This latest celebration is already taking place in the capital, where a film series, workshops and dance competitions have taken place, among other activities. It is also expected by concerts, fairs, festivals and more.
The Paraguayan capital was founded on August 15, 1537 by Juan de Salazar de Espinosa.
