Paraguay lawmakers on Wednesday debated an opposition request for an impeachment trial for President Mario Abdo Benitez for "poor performance" in the coronavirus pandemic.

Opposition parties, who form a minority in parliament, accuse Benitez and his deputy Hugo Velazquez of corruption and ineptness in dealing with the global health crisis.

The request is unlikely to pass through the Chamber of Deputies controlled by the ruling, conservative Colorado party.

A resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has overburdened hospitals in Paraguay in recent weeks, has given rise to violent street protests by people angry about a shortage of personal protective gear and other equipment, and insufficient hospital beds.

They also criticize a severe shortage of vaccines.

Thousands of protestors clashed with police, ransacking shops and setting cars on fire over days of protests which on March 5 saw 21 people injured.

The health minister resigned earlier this month, and on March 7 Benitez announced a cabinet reshuffle.

Building on the popular anger, the opposition then initiated impeachment proceedings.

The country of some seven million people has registered more than 183,000 coronavirus infections and over 3,500 deaths in a year.

From Rome, Pope Francis on Wednesday urged Paraguayans to work "jointly to build peace."

"Remember that violence is always self-destructive," he said after his general audience.

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