Santiago Pena said it was never his intention to betray the trust placed in his presidency. (EPA Images pic)ASUNCION: Paraguayan president Santiago Pena resigned on Thursday after the takeover of a bank linked to the US-allied leader blocked almost half the population from accessing their money.
The Central Bank takeover of Ueno Bank two days earlier froze the deposits of some three million people, including pensioners, and sparked angry protests across the country.
Demonstrations in Asuncion have drawn hundreds of people, some waving placards calling for the right-wing president's impeachment and others clashing with police, who used tear gas and water cannons on the crowd.
"I don't even want to talk anymore, it's not worth it because I've run out of money," street vendor Reinaldo Gomez, 48, told AFP.
