(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Former Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo and running mate Federico Franco are holding on to the lead in Paraguay’s presidential race, according to a poll by ICA. 31.9 per cent of respondents would vote for the Alliance for Change (APC) ticket in next month’s election.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Former Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo and running mate Federico Franco are holding on to the lead in Paraguay’s presidential race, according to a poll by ICA. 31.9 per cent of respondents would vote for the Alliance for Change (APC) ticket in next month’s election.
Blanca Ovelar and Carlos Santacruz of the ruling National Republican Association – Red Party (ANR) are second with 27.5 per cent, followed by Lino Oviedo and Nicolás Luthold of the National Union of Ethical Citizens (UNACE) with 24.9 per cent, and Pedro Fadul and Roberto Dietze of the Beloved Homeland Party (PPQ) with 4.6 per cent.
Nicanor Duarte won the April 2003 presidential election as the ANR candidate with 37.1 per cent of all cast ballots. The ANR has been involved in Paraguay’s government since 1947, even during the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner. Duarte is not eligible for a new term.
In 1998, Oviedo was charged, convicted and sentenced for mutiny over an alleged coup against the government of Juan Carlos Wasmosy in April 1996. In October 2007, Paraguay’s Supreme Court annulled Oviedo’s conviction in a 6-3 decision, stating that his actions did not amount to mutiny, and effectively clearing him to take part in the presidential election. In September 2007, Lugo oversaw the creation of the APC—which brings together seven opposition parties.
On Mar. 20, former Paraguayan soccer star José Luis Chilavert—one of the country’s most popular and celebrated athletes—endorsed Lugo, saying, "The Lugo-Franco ticket is the change our country needs and this is why I’m with them." Referring to Ovelar and Oviedo, Chilavert added: "The people cannot support a candidate who fraudulently won an internal primary. They cannot support a man who tried to launch a coup."
Polling Data
Which ticket would you vote for in the presidential election?
|
Fernando Lugo / Federico Franco (APC) |
31.9% |
|
Blanca Ovelar / Carlos Santacruz (ANR) |
27.5% |
|
Lino Oviedo / Nicolás Luthold (UNACE) |
24.9% |
|
Pedro Fadul / Roberto Dietze (PPQ) |
4.6% |
|
Undecided |
11.1% |
Source: ICA
Methodology: Interviews to 1,700 Paraguayan adults, conducted from Mar. 8 to Mar. 16, 2008. Margin of error is 4 per cent.
