July 12, 2008

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The vast majority of people are expecting Paraguay’s new president to perform well at his job, according to a poll by GEO published in Última Hora. 74.6 per cent of respondents think president-elect Fernando Lugo will do well do well or very well as head of state.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The vast majority of people are expecting Paraguay’s new president to perform well at his job, according to a poll by GEO published in Última Hora. 74.6 per cent of respondents think president-elect Fernando Lugo will do well do well or very well as head of state.

In April, Paraguayans voted in presidential and legislative elections. Lugo, a former Catholic bishop representing the left-leaning Patriotic Alliance for Change (APC), won the ballot with 42.3 per cent of the vote. Presidential candidates in Paraguay are not compelled to garner more than 50 per cent of the vote in order to win the election.

Lugo’s victory ended six decades of one-party rule in Paraguay. The National Republican Association - Red Party (ANR) had been in power since 1947, even during the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner. Lugo is expected to be sworn in on Aug. 15.

Lugo has vowed to alleviate poverty in Paraguay, one of the poorest countries in South America.

On Jun. 20, Michael Shifter, an analyst at the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue, said Lugo’s policies will likely not be as radical as his critics say they will be, stating, "Even if he wanted to, he’s not in a position to make very radical changes. (...) He must contend with a very entrenched Red Party, so I think his room for manoeuvring is extremely limited."

Polling Data

How do you think the government headed by Paraguayan president-elect Fernando Lugo will perform?

Very well	14.9%
Well	59.7%
Average	20.0%
Badly	1.8%
Very badly	0.1%

Source: GEO / Última Hora
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 1,212 Paraguayan adults, conducted from Jun. 20 to Jul. 3, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.