Paraguay's leftist president ousted by Congress

[visionary]

Uh... not sure what happened.

Sorry for apparently posting this twice.

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/22/us-paraguay-idUSBRE85L16M20120622

Paraguay's leftist president ousted by Congress

Paraguay's Congress removed President Fernando Lugo from office in a lightning-quick impeachment trial on Friday that he said was tantamount to a coup and triggered angry protests by the leftist leader's supporters.

Lugo, a silver-haired former Roman Catholic bishop who quit the Church to run for the presidency, was found guilty of mishandling armed clashes over a land eviction in which 17 police and peasant farmers were killed last week.

In line with Paraguay's constitution, Lugo will be replaced by Vice President Federico Franco, who has been a fierce opponent of the president.

Lugo's rivals firmly control both congressional houses. The Senate voted 39-4 to remove him the day after Lawmakers in the lower house agreed in a sudden, near-unanimous vote to impeach him.

https://twitter.com/#!/BreakingNews

Paraguay's leader: 'I say goodbye as president' after impeachment trial - @AP

6:28 PM

[Dan T.]

I have friends scheduled to visit there next month. Yikes. Hope things calm down real soon.

[jwpanic]

i live in paraguay. lugo was right when he called his impeachment a coup. the entire proceedings were a sham. he was impeached by congress out of nowhere and then told he had 2 hours to present his defense. 2 hours! he wasn't a great president by any stretch, but he didn't do anything that was impeachable.

lugo's opposition (ie every member of the congress and senate) has been trying to force him out ever since he took office 4 years ago when he promised to give land to displaced farmers. the richest 1% pretty much own all of paraguay's farmable land. farming is essentially paraguay's only industry and there are no small farms left anymore. family farms have been replaced over the years by mega-farms that raise cattle for sale in brasil and argentina or grow soy for the u.s. the government spent decades kicking small farmers off their land to create these mega-farms for a chosen few (ie members of the congress and senate).

what happened today is a travesty of justice. paraguay's democratic gov't is still in it's infancy and it's now hanging on by a thread. right now, the nation's poor (ie anyone who isn't a member of congress or the senate) are descending upon the capital of asuncion to protest the impeachment. this could get out of hand in a hurry.

also, i can't believe there's actually a thread on extremeskins about paraguay. no one cares about paraguay. kudos!

[spjunkies]

I thought they outed him for a second there

[FanboyOf91]

also, i can't believe there's actually a thread on extremeskins about paraguay. no one cares about paraguay. kudos!

visionary is the GOAT of Tailgate foreign affairs. Best of luck to y'all!

[visionary]

i live in paraguay. lugo was right when he called his impeachment a coup. the entire proceedings were a sham. he was impeached by congress out of nowhere and then told he had 2 hours to present his defense. 2 hours! he wasn't a great president by any stretch, but he didn't do anything that was impeachable.

also, i can't believe there's actually a thread on extremeskins about paraguay. no one cares about paraguay. kudos!

I don't really know much of anything about Paraguay, but this did seem important.

I hope things work out for the best for all you guys over there.

Good luck.

[Koolblue13]

That's crazy. I hope it works out. This is going to be a very crazy year around the globe.

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/06/201262383641605671.html

Latin American leaders reject Paraguay 'coup'

Argentina's foreign ministry said in a statement later on Saturday that it was withdrawing its ambassador to Paraguay, while Brazil said it was calling in its ambassador to Paraguay for consultations over the impeachment, adding democracy is essential for regional integration.

Federico Franco, the Paraguay's newly sworn-in president, has reached out to Latin American leaders to minimise diplomatic fallout and keep his country from becoming a regional pariah.

His first two appointments were Interior Minister Carmelo Caballero, who will be tasked with maintaining public order in this landlocked country, and Foreign Minister Jose Felix Fernandez, who will immediately hit the road to try to appease fellow members of the Mercosur and Unasur regional trade blocs.

"Our foreign minister will go to Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay to meet with authorities and explain to them that there was no break with democracy here. The transition of power through political trial is established in the national constitution," Franco said.

Ecuador's Correa meanwhile condemned the unprecedented speed of Lugo's one day impeachment trial.

"We're not going to cover up these actions that infringe terrible damage on our democracies and our peoples," he said.

"We the Ecuadorian government, independent of President Fernando Lugo Mendez's decision to accept his removal, will not recognise the new government of Paraguay. There will be elections in eight months in Paraguay and the government who is elected in those elections - if they're transparent and democratic - will then be recognizsd by the Ecuadorian government," Correa added.

Chavez said: "In the name of the Venezuelan people and as head of state, Venezuela does not recognise this worthless, illegal and illegitimate government that has been installed in Asuncion."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/23/us-paraguay-franco-idUSBRE85M0M620120623

Exclusive: Paraguay leader to seek Lugo's help to ease impeachment tensions

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/25/us-paraguay-idUSBRE85O10I20120625

Paraguay's Lugo protests as new cabinet sworn in

Paraguay's new center-right president swore in his cabinet on Monday as neighboring nations intensified diplomatic pressure over the sudden impeachment of his leftist predecessor, Fernando Lugo.

Federico Franco took office on Friday moments after Lugo, a former Roman Catholic bishop, was ousted by the opposition-controlled Congress in an impeachment hearing that lasted less than six hours.

Lugo's sudden ouster a year from the end of his term has drawn strong criticism and diplomatic sanctions from many governments in a region scarred by coups and political instability in the 1970s and 1980s.

Lugo initially said he accepted Congress's decision, prompting some governments to recognize Franco's administration. He has taken a tougher line, however, as regional pressure mounts on Franco - Lugo's former vice president and one of his harshest critics.

On Monday, Lugo compared himself to former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted in 2009 by the army on the basis of a court order that had backing from Congress.

Zelaya's ouster drew a similar response from regional leaders who wanted to send a stern warning about the potential consequences of similar moves.

[visionary]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/argentine-president-says-mercosur-has-suspended-paraguay-but-will-not-impose-sanctions/2012/06/29/gJQAy0S0BW_story.html

Argentine president says Mercosur has suspended Paraguay, but will not impose sanctions

MENDOZA, Argentina — Argentina’s President says the Mercosur trade bloc has suspended Paraguay from the trade bloc but will not slap economic sanctions against the South American country after the ousting its president. She also says Venezuela will become a full member of the grouping since July 31.

Fernando Lugo was impeached by the Paraguayan Congress a week ago in a fast trial triggered by a land eviction that killed 17 people in clashes between police and landless peasants. Argentine President Cristina Fernandez told other heads of state on Friday that the “democratic order was broken” in Paraguay because Lugo was not allowed a proper defense.