Paraguay elects ex-bishop as new president
The ruling party concedes power after six decades. Left-leaning Fernando
Lugo ran on a platform of 'change.'
By Patrick J. McDonnell Los Angeles Times Staff Writer April 20, 2008
From the Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.
36992.story
ASUNCION, PARAGUAY -- A former Roman Catholic bishop who championed the
downtrodden and challenged the long-entrenched political elite was
elected Paraguay's president Sunday, ending six decades of one-party
rule in this South American nation.
Fernando Lugo, 56, dubbed "the bishop of the poor," was leading by 10
percentage points with more than 90% of the results in, electoral
officials said. He had about 41% of the vote to about 31% for his chief
opponent, Blanca Ovelar of the ruling Colorado Party. Ovelar called the
margin of victory "irreversible" and conceded defeat in the evening.
Lugo's victory was historic in Paraguay, where the Colorado Party has
held power even longer than the communist regimes of China, North Korea
and Cuba. Spurring his triumph was widespread discontent with the ruling
party's long record of corruption, cronyism and economic stagnation.
The election of Lugo was the latest triumph by a left-leaning leader in
Latin America, where a so-called pink tide of democratically elected
presidents has altered the region's political map in recent years.
"The humble citizens are the ones responsible for this change," Lugo
said at a downtown news conference as his lead grew. "Paraguayans have
taken a great step toward civic maturity. . . . We have opened a new
page in this nation's political history."
Thousands of Lugo's backers, many waving Paraguayan flags, gathered
Sunday evening in the streets of this tropical capital to celebrate.
Joyous supporters sang, banged drums, set off fireworks and honked
vehicle horns as word spread that the upstart ex-cleric was headed for
victory.
The bearded, bespectacled Lugo, who has never held political office, ran
on the same "change" motto that has become a buzzword of the U.S.
presidential race.
Lugo vowed to alter the course of his landlocked nation of 6.6 million
best known in much of the world for its rampant contraband, crushing
poverty and bleak history of dictatorship under a former Colorado Party
leader. Many Paraguayans immigrate to neighboring Argentina and Brazil,
as well as to Europe and the United States, in search of economic
opportunities.
Lugo said he would fight endemic corruption, institute long-delayed
agrarian reform, invest in education and social needs, and renegotiate
Paraguay's income from two huge hydroelectric projects with Brazil and
Argentina. He argued that Paraguay was failing to benefit from the
massive amounts of excess electricity its dams produce.
The days of relying on ruling-party contacts for jobs and other needs
will end, Lugo declared. Supporters said his time as a priest and bishop
cemented his honest image in this overwhelmingly Roman Catholic
nation.
"This country needs a change," said Natalia Talavera, 26, a first-time
voter and mother of two who cast her ballot at a public school downtown.
"I voted for change, for Fernando Lugo. I just hope they let him have
the victory he deserves."
Lugo had been leading in polls, but many experts had doubted that he
could overcome the Colorado Party's well-oiled political machine.
However, the Colorados suffered a divisive primary fight that weakened
support. And Ovelar, a former education minister, lacked charisma and
the political skill of other party stalwarts.
Lugo survived a nasty campaign during which opponents tried to link him
to terrorists, guerrillas, kidnapping gangs and Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez. Lugo denied any links to armed groups and denied that he
would be a puppet of Venezuela's leftist leader.
The U.S. Embassy kept a low profile during the heated campaign, as
diplomats sought to avoid any hint that Washington was meddling in
Paraguayan affairs.
Even before Lugo's election seemed assured, international observers said
the voting appeared clean and without disruptive incidents, apart from
some scuffles at polling sites. Lugo and others had voiced fears that
ruling-party operatives would attempt widespread fraud.
"My congratulations go out to Paraguayans,
Foreign Minister Maria Emma Mejia, who headed an observation mission
from the Organization of American States. "People were able to exercise
their democratic right to vote. This is a historic day for Paraguay and
for Latin America."
Lugo, who stepped down from the priesthood to seek the presidency, is
believed to be the first former Catholic bishop to be elected a chief of
state.
Despite his rhetoric, he has refused to be labeled a leftist, saying he
is a centrist responding to the needs of the downtrodden and the
teachings of Liberation Theology, a Catholic doctrine favoring the poor
and subjugated.
The Vatican has assailed Liberation Theology for Marxist tendencies.
The Vatican also contends that Lugo remains a priest and has violated
church law by seeking political office. But Lugo says he is no longer a
priest. How that dispute will be resolved remains unclear. Rumors have
swirled here that some resolution is in the works between Rome and
Asuncion.
The election is a clear rebuke of outgoing President Nicanor Duarte
Frutos, who is barred by the constitution from seeking reelection. He
pushed for the controversial candidacy of Ovelar, who will go down in
Paraguayan history as the Colorado Party's biggest loser. She would have
been the country's first female president.
The Colorado Party's time in power includes the 35-year dictatorship of
Gen. Alfredo Stroessner, the anti-communist strongman who was ousted in
1989. But the party survived Stroessner and went on to dominate almost
two decades of shaky democracy -- until Sunday's stunning defeat.
Once his victory is certified, Lugo will take office Aug. 15 for a
five-year term.
patrick.mcdonnell
@latimes.com
Copyright 2008 Los Angeles Times |
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