President of Paraguay in the context of Mburuvichá Roga

Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda (Spanish: [alˈfɾeðo esˈtɾosneɾ]; 3 November 1912 – 16 August 2006) was a Paraguayan politician, army general, and military dictator who ruled as the 42nd president of Paraguay from 15 August 1954 until his overthrow in 1989. Known there as El Stronato, his dictatorship was marked by political violence. Before his accession to the presidency, he was the country's de facto leader from May to August 1954.

Stroessner rose to power after leading the 1954 Paraguayan coup d'état on 4 May, with backing from the Colorado Party, the Paraguayan Army, and the United States. Following a brief provisional government under Tomás Romero Pereira, he was elected unopposed in the 1954 presidential election, as all opposition parties had been banned since 1947.

Francisco Solano López Carrillo (24 July 1827 or 1826 – 1 March 1870) was a Paraguayan statesman, military officer and politician who served as President of Paraguay between 1862 and 1870, of which he served mostly during the Paraguayan War (1864–1870). He is the only Paraguayan president to have been killed in action.

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 to Asunción, he was appointed Vice-President of the Supreme Government of his father Carlos Antonio López, and then assumed the presidency when his father died. He is one of only two Paraguayans to have received the rank of Marshal, along with José Félix Estigarribia.

The 1954 Paraguayan coup d'état occurred in May 1954. It was led by Alfredo Stroessner, with the support of Epifanio Méndez Fleitas, and resulted in the overthrow of the government of Federico Chávez. The coup was the culmination of a complex series of political rivalries within the ruling Colorado Party. Approximately 25 people were killed during the putsch, which helped set the stage for the election of Stroessner as president of Paraguay later that year. He went on to serve as a dictator for 35 years before his own overthrow in 1989.

The National Republican Association (Spanish: Asociación Nacional Republicana, ANR), also known as the Colorado Party (Spanish: Partido Colorado, lit. 'Red Party'), is a conservative political party in Paraguay, founded on 11 September 1887 by Bernardino Caballero. Since 1947, the colorados, as they are known, has been dominant in Paraguayan politics (ruling as the only legal party between 1947 and 1962) and has controlled the presidency since 1948 – notwithstanding a brief interruption between 2008 and 2013 – as well as having a majority in both chambers of Congress and department governorships, it was one of the two traditionally dominant parties in the country, along with the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA).

The Colorado Party has historically been and continues to be the dominant political party in Paraguay. With 2.6 million members as of 2022 (although there are allegations of numerous false affiliations made by the party), it is the largest political party in the country, usually ruling without the necessity of electoral alliances. Paraguay was for several decades under dictatorial rule by Alfredo Stroessner, a member of the Colorado Party, until he was ousted from power in 1989, which set off a democratization process. Since then, there has been an expansion of civil and political liberties, as well as elections at presidential, congressional, and municipal levels. However, the democratization process has been limited due to the firm control of the Colorado Party on the Paraguayan state. The Colorado Party retains power through clientelistic practices, and corruption is widespread in Paraguay.

Tomás Romero Pereira (4 October 1886 – 12 August 1982) was a Paraguayan architect and politician who served as President of Paraguay from May to August of 1954. He was installed as president by Alfredo Stroessner after the coup of 4 May against President Federico Chaves. Romero Pereira quickly held elections, which fraudulently elected Stroessner president.

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 and 2018 general elections but failed to win reelection in the 2023 Paraguayan general election.