Election Date: April 20, 2008

Abstract: At stake: President, National Congress

At stake: President, National Congress

Background

After enduring the military dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner for 35 years, Paraguay seemed destined for recovery in the early 1990s. But despite the return of democratic elections, instability and assassinations have tarnished the country’s recent political history.

Paraguay remains today one of the poorest nations in Latin America. About 60 per cent of the 6.6 million population lives in poverty. The top 10 per cent of the population holds 43.8 per cent of the national income, while the lowest 10 per cent has only 0.5 per cent.

In 1989, General Andrés Rodríguez, who overthrew Stroessner in a coup, won the first multi-party elections to be celebrated in decades. In 1992, a new constitution was implemented. In 1993, Juan Carlos Wasmosy, a wealthy businessman, won a five-year term in free elections. Wasmosy was the candidate of the governing National Republican Association - Red Party (ANR).

The right-leaning ANR has been involved in Paraguay’s government since 1947, even during the Stroessner era. State workers and employees make up 40 per cent of Paraguay’s voting population.

In 1998, Raúl Cubas Grau was elected president. The following year, his vice-president, Luis María Argaña, was assassinated. Cubas Grau resigned amidst allegations he had been involved in the crime. Argaña and Cubas Grau had previously argued about whether to incarcerate Lino Oviedo, the president’s mentor and a general who was deemed responsible for an alleged coup against the government of Wasmosy in 1996.

In 1998, Oviedo was charged, convicted and sentenced for mutiny over the alleged coup against Wasmosy’s government in April 1996. Oviedo fled to Brazil in 1999 and was finally jailed in 2004.

Luis Angel González Macchi, who succeeded Cubas Grau, was close to being impeached in 2003 on charges ranging from corruption and fraud, to the kidnapping and torture of political rivals.

In April 2003, Nicanor Duarte, a former journalist, won the presidency, extending the 56-year rule of the ANR with 37.1 per cent of the vote. Despite the presidential victory, "the Reds" lost many seats in Congress and failed to win a majority in the legislature. Paraguayan electoral regulations do not allow for a run-off in the event no candidate garners more than 50 per cent of the vote.

Click Here for Paraguay’s 2003 President, National Congress Election Tracker

Duarte was sworn in on Aug. 15, along with vice-president Luis Castiglioni. Duarte’s mandate focused on combating rampant corruption and saving a ravaged economy with some success.

The president, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a second term in office, was hailed for his initiative to reform the Supreme Court and doing a snap cabinet reshuffle following a corruption scandal.

According to a COIN poll published in Última Hora, 50 per cent of respondents think Duarte has done a bad or very bad job in leading the country.

2008 President, National Congress Election

The general election is scheduled to take place on Apr. 20, 2008. The president, the vice-president and all members of the two-chamber National Congress will be elected to five-year terms on that day.

Paraguayan president Nicanor Duarte suggested that he would seek a constitutional amendment to allow him to run for office again, but eventually abandoned his bid in 2007.

The ruling National Republican Association - Red Party (ANR) was scheduled to hold a primary election in December 2007, in order to determine who will be its presidential candidate. The list of contenders included vice-president Luis Castiglioni, education minister Blanca Ovelar, and ANR leader José Alberto Alderete.

Two opposition candidates garnered significant public support throughout 2007. One is Fernando Lugo, a former Catholic Bishop whose license has been "suspended" by the Vatican upon his decision to participate in politics. Lugo has worked during most of his life in areas of extreme poverty, and is akin to left-leaning policies. His main concerns are poverty and inequality.

The second candidate is Lino Oviedo, who founded the left-leaning National Union of Ethical Citizens (UNACE), and was released from prison in 2007 after his term was reduced for good behaviour.

On Sept. 6, when he was freed, Oviedo confirmed he would seek to become Paraguay’s president, saying, "Democracy means respect for the will of the people. I have a small calendar and it says in there, ‘I will be released and I will govern Paraguay’."

A September 2007 poll by First Análisis y Estudios published in ABC Color showed that an alliance between Lugo and Oviedo could seriously hamper the chances of the ANR to remain in power. 

On Sept. 7, UNACE president and senator Enrique González Quintana acknowledged Oviedo’s legal status is currently restricted, but added: "He has every right to tour the country and engage in politics. The only limitation he has is that he cannot be a candidate. But that is just for now, because a request for a review of his sentence has been filed with the Supreme Court."

On Sept. 17, Lugo oversaw the creation of the Patriotic Alliance for Change (APC)—which brings together seven opposition parties—and ruled out an eventual agreement with Oviedo, declaring, "Oviedo is a fixture of Paraguay’s past, and we are looking to the future with optimism, because the country requires deep and urgent changes."

On Sept. 22, Lugo said he is the only true leftist in the presidential race, saying, "The majority of people in Paraguay are leftists, because they are looking for a real change. Some people do not understand what the word ‘left’ means. To me it means, ‘the people who want change’."

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.

On Nov. 6, Duarte dismissed the results of a survey by Transparencia Paraguay—which placed him as the most corrupt president in the minds of respondents—saying, “The governments that preceded me stole $200 million U.S. from state funds. My government has not lost a single peso of the country’s pension funds; this government has not looted international reserves.”

On Nov. 20, Oviedo said Lugo will “not win the elections because he lied to the Catholic faith; to religious people,” adding. “There are 80 per cent of us who are religious. (...) Lugo lied to the Pope (because he left priesthood). If he lied to God’s representative on Earth, what about us?”

On Dec. 9, Lugo was officially anointed as the APC candidate, and declared: “My commitment, and I ratify it now, is with a country that deserves a social, economical and political transformation. (...) We want to unite every Paraguayan in order to create a country that is not known for its corruption or its inappropriate actions.”

Also on Dec. 9, the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay and Venezuela officially announced the creation of the Bank of the South—an international organization similar to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or the World Bank—in order to boost economic growth by providing cheap credit to Latin American countries.

Duarte celebrated the creation of the new bank, saying, "It reflects the fact that we want a world order built on justice and on the wealth that we produce. (...) We are at the start of all that we must do for South America to have a potent voice in the globalization era."

In late January 2008, Lugo talked about the challenges faced by his political movement, saying, “We’re starting to build a united opposition, which is not an easy task in Paraguay, because we have not had the experience of democracy that other countries in the region have enjoyed, nor the real opportunity to unite around a plan for the country. Political parties today, and especially their leaders, are removed from their followers, and their supporters have lost faith in them.”

On Jan. 31, Ovelar won the ANR’s presidential nomination and declared: “I now announce that for the first time in Paraguay’s history, a woman will be president.” Ovelar described Paraguay as “a clearly macho country.”

On Mar. 8, Ovelar talked about her role in politics as a woman, saying, “In this century of the woman, we [women] are destined to renew the codes of old politics; to humanize it; to use all the state’s resources towards the common well-being.”

In March, some ANR members have called for retooling the ticket of Blanca Ovelar and Carlos María Santacruz—who trailed Lugo and running mate Federico Franco of the APC in voting intention polls—to have a better shot at winning the ballot.

On Mar. 12, Duarte adamantly refused such calls, saying that “individualistic” interests are second to the party’s interests, and declaring, “They say we must think of leadership, but let them go to hell. (...) What matters now is that we all take care of the party and swallow our own vomit.”

On Mar. 17, Lugo said he “would not become” like other left-leaning presidents in South America, saying, “I have a lot of respect for the government of [Venezuelan president] Hugo Chávez but, contrary to what many believe, I will not be like Chávez.” Lugo added that he would not become “a Paraguayan Chávez or an Evo [Morales, president of Bolivia]”, because “Paraguay will have to have its own process” of transformation.

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.”

On Mar. 25, vice-presidential candidate Santacruz assured that the ruling party will manage to reverse the negative trend in voting intention polls over the remaining 30 days of the campaign and win the election. He also urged voters to back “a party with experience”, adding, “We need predictability in the country in order to bring progress, so that our youth have access to more scholarships and the elderly have more jobs.”

On Apr. 3, the four presidential candidates took part in a debate. Lugo said he would reform existing guidelines to eradicate the “unfair structures of production and labour.” Ovelar vowed to increase private investment in infrastructure projects. Oviedo discussed his views on corruption, saying, “Only with the proper training of public servants will bribery be eliminated.”

On Apr. 4, Duarte said Ovelar would win the election “by more than 100,000 votes” and dismissed the APC, saying, “It is a pathetic alliance for looting, it does not represent change and they are already fighting. If they fight right now for a microphone, how will they behave when they are the government?”

Also on Apr. 4, Lugo discussed his chances, saying, “The polls give us a serene optimism. (...) We believe Paraguay requires a profound transformation.” The APC candidate revealed that, if he forms the government, his sister Mercedes would serve as the South American country’s first lady.

Polls released in April by First Análisis y Estudios and Ati Snead suggested a victory for Lugo, while a survey by ICA predicted a closer race.

On Apr. 18, Lugo discussed his views on the electoral process, saying, “The topic (of fraud) is still in the air, because we do not have a perfect electoral system, where lack of confidence and doubts can be dissuaded.”

Voting took place on Apr. 20. Final results gave Lugo 42.7 per cent of the vote, followed by Ovelar with 31.8 per cent and Oviedo 22.8 per cent. Lugo declared: “Today we’ve written a new chapter in our nation’s political history.”

Lugo is scheduled to begin his five-year term on Aug. 15

Political Players

President: Nicanor Duarte - Partido Colorado (ANR—Red Party)
Vice-President: Luis Castiglioni - Partido Colorado (ANR—Red Party)

The president and vice-president are elected by popular vote on the same ticket to a five-year term.

Legislative Branch: The Congreso Nacional (National Congress) has two chambers. The Cámara de Diputados (Chamber of Deputies) has 80 members, elected to five-year terms by proportional representation. The Cámara de Senadores (Chamber of Senators) has 45 members, elected to five-year terms by proportional representation.

Results of Last Election:

President - Apr. 20, 2008

	Vote%
Fernando Lugo - Patriotic Alliance for Change (APC)	42.3%
Blanca Ovelar - National Republican Association - Red Party (ANR)	31.8%
Lino Oviedo - National Union of Ethical Citizens (UNACE)	22.8%
Pedro Fadul - Beloved Homeland Party (PPQ)	2.5%
Sergio Martínez - Paraguayan Humanist Party (PHP)	0.4%
Horacio Galeano Perrone - Tetã Pyahu Movement (MTP)	0.1%
Julio López - Workers’ Party (PT)	0.1%

Chamber of Deputies - Apr. 20, 2008

	Seats
National Republican Association - Red Party (ANR)	29
Authentic Liberal Radical Party (PLRA)	26
National Union of Ethical Citizens (UNACE)	16
Beloved Homeland Party (PPQ)	3
Patriotic Alliance for Change (APC)	2
Popular Movement Tekojoja (MPT)	1
Democratic Progressive Party (PDP)	1
Departmental Alliance Boquerón (ADB)	1
Other	1

Senate - Apr. 20, 2008

	Seats
National Republican Association - Red Party (ANR)	15
Authentic Liberal Radical Party (PLRA)	14
National Union of Ethical Citizens (UNACE)	9
Beloved Homeland Party (PPQ)	4
Popular Movement Tekojoja (MPT)	1
Democratic Progressive Party (PDP)	1
Party for a Country of Solidarity (PPS)	1

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