High Expectations for New Paraguayan President

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... [read full story]