Paraguay: Election victory of Fernando Lugo - full text
Searching more than 75 years of world history
The Colorado Party (PC), which had been in power since 1947, lost presidential elections on April 20 to the Patriotic Alliance for Change (APC). The PC had been in power for 61 years, making it the longest-ruling party in the world. The APC's candidate, Fernando Lugo, won the election with 41 per cent of the vote, 10 percentage points ahead of Blanca Ovelar of the PC.
Immediate Context
Lugo, a former Catholic bishop dubbed the "bishop of the poor", campaigned on a platform of implementing policies designed to improve the lives of ordinary Paraguayans. Lugo rose to prominence in Paraguay as a key organiser of an opposition rally in Asunción (the capital) in March 2006. He made a number of populist election pledges including reforming the agrarian sector to redistribute land and tackling corruption. A series of recent scandals had included the conviction of former president Luis González Macchi in December 2006 for embezzling US$16 million of public funds.
However, Lugo's success was also attributed to the broad appeal of the APC coalition and a desire for change. The broadly left-leaning APC consisted of organisations of indigenous people, rural workers, and trade unionists, as well as the Liberal Radical Authentic Party (PLRA).
The PC was founded in 1887 by Bernardino Caballero and from 1947-62 ruled Paraguay as a one-party state. Ovelar, a former minister for education whose nomination as PC candidate had been supported by departing President Nicanor Duarte Frutos, would have been Paraguay's first female President if elected.
Reaction and Outlook
The Times reported on April 23, that Vatican sources had indicated that Pope Benedict XVI was to decide whether to defrock Lugo following the election. Lugo resigned from the priesthood in December 2006 to enable him to pursue his political goals, but the Vatican refused the resignation as ordination was a "freely accepted lifetime commitment". There had been calls for Lugo to be reduced to "lay status" in case his presidency signalled a return to Christian political activism, or "liberation theology" in Latin America.
At a news conference in Asunción on April 21, Lugo announced that "Paraguay’s citizens are now responsible for the change that is starting so that the country won’t be remembered just for its corruption and poverty but for its honesty ... today we have written a new page in the country’s political history."
Lugo's Presidency heralded a possible shift in foreign policy with Paraguay seeking closer ties with China. Paraguay has previously been the only South American country allied with Taiwan. The China Post reported on April 24 that at a press conference on April 23, Lugo stated that "among the Paraguayan people and its legislators, there's a desire to get closer to China. (Paraguay) is the only country in the region that doesn't have relations with China ... we're not going to get left behind".
Historical Context
Present day Paraguay was originally inhabited by Guarani-speaking tribes of Amerindians. The first Europeans arrived in the region during the 16th century, and the city of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (present-day Asunción) was founded in 1537 by the Spanish explorer Juan de Salazar Espinoza. During the 17th century Asunción became a centre for Jesuit missionaries attempting to protect the Amerindian communities from Portuguese slave traders and Spanish colonists. In 1767 King Charles III of Spain expelled the Jesuits from the region.
The Paraguayan settlers declared their independence from Spain on May 17, 1811. José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia was granted full dictatorial powers in 1814, establishing a pattern of dictatorship that persisted to the late 20th century. Paraguay experienced disastrous losses during the "War of the Triple Alliance" against Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, with the country's population falling from 600,000 to 250,000. The more successful "Chaco war" was fought against Bolivia between 1932-35, during which the Paraguayan forces secured the disputed oil-rich Chaco region. A civil war between supporters and opponents of the PC in 1947-48 precipitated a period of instability, which culminated in 1954 in a military coup. The coup's leader, Gen. Alfredo Stroessner of the PC, was elected president unopposed and remained in charge of Paraguay for the next 35 years.
Shortly after assuming the presidency, Stroessner declared a state of emergency and suspended constitutional freedoms. Despite the effective suspension of democratic rule, Stroessner's anti-communist stance enabled Paraguay to develop positive relations with the USA, and in 1965, Stroessner sent troops to support US Marines in the Dominican Republic. However, concerns over human rights and political repression led to an eventual withdrawal of US support for Stroessner's regime.
Stroessner was re-elected seven times (1958 , 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, and 1988) but due to severe repression of opposition activities, the elections were not generally regarded as having been open or democratic.
In 1989 Stroessner was overthrown in coup d'état led by General Andrés Rodríguez and went into exile in Brazil. Rodríguez promised to establish an open political system and in May 1993, PC member Juan Carlos Wasmosy became the first civilian president to be elected through fair and free elections since 1954. The head of the armed forces, Gen. Lino César Oviedo, however, continued to demand political influence and a military coup in 1996 was only narrowly averted. Oviedo was found guilty of attempting a coup in 1998 and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Raul Cubas, also of the PC, and a supporter of Oviedo, won presidential elections in 1998, but resigned in 1999 after Vice President Luis Maria Argaña Ferraro was assassinated and Oviedo was widely believed to have been responsible. Luis González Macchi (PC) assumed the presidency, surviving a coup attempt in 2000 and increasing popular protests, but was subsequently impeached and in 2006 convicted of embezzlement. Macchi had been succeeded in 2003 by Nicanor Duarte Frutos (PC), who had pledged to tackle corruption.
