| Order: | 41st President of Paraguay |
| Term Start: | 4 May 1954 |
| Term End: | 15 August 1954 |
| Predecessor: | Federico Chaves |
| Successor: | Alfredo Stroessner |
| Birth Date: | 4 October 1886 |
| Birth Place: | Encarnación, Itapúa, Paraguay |
| Death Place: | Asunción, Paraguay |
| Spouse: | Lilia Isabel Arza |
| Children: | 6 |
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.[1] [2] 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.
Tomás Romero Pereira was born on 4 October 1886 in Encarnación, Paraguay, to Emilio Romero and Isabel Pereira. He had three sisters: Rosa Isabel, Josefa, and Sandalia; and two brothers: Emilio and Cayo.
Romero Pereira became an architect, one of the first professionally trained ones in Paraguay. One of his works is the frontispiece of the Oratory of the Virgin of the Assumption in Asunción.[3]
He married Lilia Isabel Arza. They had five daughters: Rosa Isabel, Marta, Lilia, María Cristina and Susana; and one son: Carlos Francisco.
He was a member of the Colorado Party. He came to power as a result of a military coup, led by General Alfredo Stroessner, which began on 4 May 1954 and lasted for three days.
As a compromise between the military who led the coup and the Colorado Party who was in power, he formally took office on 8 May 1954. An election was held on 11 July 1954, with Stroessner as the sole candidate.
On 15 August 1954, Romero Pereira handed over the presidency to Alfredo Stroessner who then became the dictator of Paraguay for 35 years. Afterwards, he held various ministerial posts under Stroessner, including head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, until in 1956 he was replaced by Edgar Ynsfrán.
He died on 12 August 1982 at the age of 95.