Polls & Research

Lugo-Oviedo is Preferred Ticket in Paraguay

(ARGM) - The pairing of a priest and a controversial former general is the most attractive for voters in Paraguay, according to a poll by First Análisis y Estudios published in ABC Color. 27.3 per cent of respondents would vote for a ticket comprised of Fernando Lugo and Lino Oviedo in the next presidential election.

Current president Nicanor Duarte and vice-president Luis Castiglioni of the National Republican Association - Red Party (ANR) are second with 24.8 per cent, followed by Duarte and Pedro Fadul of the Beloved Homeland Party (PPQ) with 17.9 per cent, Fadul and Central Department governor Federico Franco with 15.4 per cent, Castiglioni and education minister Blanca Ovelar with 9.3 per cent, and Lugo and Franco with 1.8 per cent.

Lugo served as bishop in the diocese of San Pedro, located in one of Paraguay’s poorest areas. As a priest, he requires an official permit from The Vatican in order to become directly involved in politics. Oviedo is the founder of the National Union of Ethical Citizens (UNACE). In 1998, Oviedo was charged, convicted and sentenced for mutiny over an alleged coup against the government of Juan Carlos Wasmosy in April 1996.

Duarte won the April 2003 presidential election 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 has proposed a constitutional amendment—which requires the support of more than half of the elected lawmakers in both chambers—to seek a new five-year term. The ANR currently holds 39 of the 80 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, and 18 of 45 mandates in the Senate.

On Dec. 13, representatives from several opposition parties—including UNACE, the PPQ, the Authentic Liberal Radical Party (PLRA), the Party for a Country of Solidarity (PPS), and the National Agreement Party (PEN)—signed a declaration to pursue victory in the 2008 election and "allow the changes that will enable us to build a fairer Paraguay."

The next presidential election is scheduled for April 2008.

Polling Data

Which of these tickets would you support in the next presidential election?

Fernando Lugo / Lino Oviedo	27.3%
Nicanor Duarte / Luis Castiglioni	24.8%
Fernando Lugo / Pedro Fadul	17.9%
Pedro Fadul / Federico Franco	15.4%
Luis Castiglioni / Blanca Ovelar	9.3%
Fernando Lugo / Federico Franco	1.8%
Not sure	3.5%

Source: First Análisis y Estudios / ABC Color
Methodology: Interviews with 1,000 Paraguayan adults, conducted in December 2006. Margin of error is 3.3 per cent.