Paraguay elects ex-bishop as new president

There are 274 days until Jan. 20, 2009.

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

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-paraguay21apr21,1,3636992.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," said former

Colombian 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