Lilian Graciela Samaniego González (born 25 February 1965) is a Paraguayan pharmaceutical chemist and politician of the Colorado Party. She has been a member of the Senate of Paraguay since 2004.
Lilian Samaniego | |
|---|---|
 Samaniego in 2019 | |
| Senator of Paraguay | |
| Assumed office 16 November 2004 | |
| President of the Colorado Party | |
| In office 19 November 2008 – 25 July 2015 | |
| Preceded by | José Alberto Alderete |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Alliana |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lilian Graciela Samaniego González 25 February 1965 Asunción, Paraguay |
| Political party | Colorado Party |
| Relatives | Arnaldo Samaniego (brother) |
| Alma mater | Universidad Nacional de Asunción |
| Occupation |
|
Biography edit
Lilian Samaniego was born on 25 February 1965,[1] in San Vicente, a neighborhood of Asunción, to parents Ignacio E. Samaniego and Elisa González de Samaniego, recognized leaders of the ANR.[2] She has two brothers – Arnaldo, who was mayor of Asunción from 2010 to 2015, and Gustavo.[3]
She completed her primary and secondary studies at the Cristo Rey de Asunción School, from which she graduated as a Bachelor of Science and Letters in 1983.
She entered the Universidad Nacional de Asunción, and in 1987 she graduated from the Faculty of Chemical Sciences with the degree of pharmaceutical chemist.
She completed postgraduate studies in the United States, Europe, and the Mercosur countries.
Pharmaceutical theft case edit
On 14 July 1998, while Samaniego was working as head of the healthcare campus of the Social Security Institute (IPS), police arrested several people in connection with a cache of prescription medications seized in Asunción. These were marked "exclusive use of IPS" and valued at approximately 800 million guaraní (US$290,000).[4] Samaniego was investigated as a possible conspirator, and lost her position, but charges against her were later dropped.[5] About one year later, she was re-appointed as head of the pharmaceutical unit by IPS chief Darío Filártiga, who was also a political advisor to Horacio Cartes.[4]
Political career edit
Lilian Samaniego joined the Colorado Party on 24 March 1982, where she was very active, holding various positions as a delegate, proxy, political secretary of the governing board, and president of the women's central commission.[1]
She has been part of some of the party's internal movements, such as the United Colorado Movement, the Republican Participation Movement, and the Colorado Vanguard Movement. She was expelled from the latter in 2008 due to dissatisfaction with a deal she had reached with former President Nicanor Duarte.[6]
President of the ANR-PC edit
Samaniego was elected first vice president of the ANR by more than two thirds of the governing board, and immediately assumed the interim presidency of the party on 16 September 2008.[7] She took over in the midst of an internal crisis, after a major loss in that year's general election, where opposition candidate Fernando Lugo triumphed and ended more than 60 years of Colorado governments. She led her party to a resurgence in the 2010 municipal elections, leaving it well positioned to return to power in 2013 with the election of Horacio Cartes.
She was ratified in her position as president in the internal elections of 13 March 2011, becoming the first woman to be elected to the position in the party's 124-year history.[2][8]
Senator edit
Samaniego was elected as alternate senator for Asunción in 2003, and took over as titular senator in 2004. She was reelected in 2008, 2013,[9] and 2018.[10] She is president of the body's Equity and Gender Commission.[11] As Senator, she was one of the main promoters in Congress of a constitutional amendment that would have allowed the President of Paraguay to run for reelection, which was seen as done at the behest of then-President Horacio Cartes, which led to the 2017 Paraguayan crisis.[12]
References edit
- ^ a b "Perfiles de los candidatos y posibles postulantes colorados" [Profiles and Colorado Candidates and Possible Applicants]. Última Hora (in Spanish). 26 February 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Biografía de Lilian Graciela Samaniego González" (in Spanish). National Republican Association-Colorado Party. 19 April 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
- ^ "La presidenta del paraguayo Partido Colorado se recupera tras un paro respiratorio" [The President of the Paraguayan Colorado Party Recovers After a Respiratory Arrest]. eldiario.es (in Spanish). Asunción. EFE. 12 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Déficit y robo de fármacos" [Drug Shortage and Theft]. ABC Color (in Spanish). 10 August 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ Ferreira, Marcia (28 September 2015). "Cámara dictó sentencia tras casi 13 años de estudio" [Chamber Hands Down Sentence After Almost 13 Years of Study]. ABC Color (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ "Expulsan a Lilian de Vanguardia Colorada" [Lilian Expelled from Colorado Vanguard]. ABC Color (in Spanish). 25 September 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ "Eligen a Lilian Samaniego como presidenta de la ANR" [Lilian Samaniego Elected as President of the ANR]. ABC Color (in Spanish). 16 September 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ "Lilian Samaniego, virtual presidenta de ANR, según datos extraoficiales" [Lilian Samaniego, Virtual President of the ANR, According to Unofficial Data]. ABC Color (in Spanish). 14 March 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ "Resultados de Elecciones 2013 para Senadores" [Results of the 2013 Elections for Senators] (in Spanish). Superior Court of Electoral Justice of Paraguay. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ Acuerdo y Sentencia Nº17/2018 (PDF) (in Spanish). Superior Court of Electoral Justice of Paraguay. 22 April 2018. p. 100. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ "Comisión de Equidad analizará el Proyecto de Ley 'De salud mental'" [Equity Commission Will Analyze the 'Mental Health' Bill] (in Spanish). Senate of Paraguay. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ "Lilian Samaniego: "Tengo la convicción de que la enmienda será aprobada"" [Lilian Samaniego: "I am convinced that the amendment will be approved"]. Última Hora (in Spanish). 2 April 2017.
External links edit
- Official website
Media related to Lilian Samaniego at Wikimedia Commons
