Paraguay swears in leftist ex-bishop

Lugo, tieless and wearing sandals, inaugurated for 5-year presidential term Elements on Paraguay's left and right are expected to challenge the authority of President Fernando Lugo. ASUNCION, Paraguay - Leftist ex-bishop Fernando Lugo was inaugurated Friday as Paraguay's president, ending six decades of one-party rule in a key step in the poor South American nation's democratic transformation. Tens of thousands of Paraguayans cheered as the tieless, sandal-clad Lugo raised his hand in the air and was sworn in, addressing the crowd in both Spanish and the Guarani indigenous language from a huge stage in front of Congress. Lugo pledged to do away with the misery and corruption that has defined the desperately poor nation under the Colorado Party, which supported the brutal 1954-1989 dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner. "Today... [read full story]