HISTORY
Pre-Columbian civilization in the
fertile, wooded region that is now Paraguay consisted of numerous
seminomadic, Guarani-speaking tribes of Indians, who were recognized
for their fierce warrior traditions. They practiced a mythical
polytheistic religion, which later blended with Christianity.
Spanish explorer Juan de Salazar founded Asuncion on the Feast
Day of the Assumption, August 15, 1537. The city eventually became
the center of a Spanish colonial province. Paraguay declared its
independence by overthrowing the local Spanish authorities in
May 1811.
The country's formative years saw
three strong leaders who established the tradition of personal
rule that lasted until 1989: Jose Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia,
Carlos Antonio Lopez, and his son, Francisco Solano Lopez. The
younger Lopez waged a war against Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil
(War of the Triple Alliance, 1864-70) in which Paraguay lost half
its population; afterwards, Brazilian troops occupied the country
until 1874. A succession of presidents governed Paraguay under
the banner of the Colorado Party from 1880 until 1904, when the
Liberal party seized control, ruling with only a brief interruption
until 1940.
In the 1930s and 1940s, Paraguayan
politics were defined by the Chaco War against Bolivia, a civil
war, dictatorships, and periods of extreme political instability.
Gen. Alfredo Stroessner took power in May 1954. Elected to complete
the unexpired term of his predecessor, he was re-elected president
seven times, ruling almost continuously under the state-of-siege
provision of the constitution with support from the military and
the Colorado Party. During Stroessner's 34-year reign, political
freedoms were severely limited, and opponents of the regime were
systematically harassed and persecuted in the name of national
security and anticommunism. Though a 1967 constitution gave dubious
legitimacy to Stroessner's control, Paraguay became progressively
isolated from the world community.
On February 3, 1989, Stroessner was
overthrown in a military coup headed by Gen. Andres Rodriguez.
Rodriguez, as the Colorado Party candidate, easily won the presidency
in elections held that May and the Colorado Party dominated the
Congress. In 1991 municipal elections, however, opposition candidates
won several major urban centers, including Asuncion. As president,
Rodriguez instituted political, legal, and economic reforms and
initiated a rapprochement with the international community.
The June 1992 constitution established
a democratic system of government and dramatically improved protection
of fundamental rights. In May 1993, Colorado Party candidate Juan
Carlos Wasmosy was elected as Paraguay's first civilian president
in almost 40 years in what international observers deemed fair
and free elections. The newly elected majority-opposition Congress
quickly demonstrated its independence from the executive by rescinding
legislation passed by the previous Colorado-dominated Congress.
Wasmosy worked to consolidate Paraguay's democratic transition,
reform the economy and the state, and improve respect for human
rights. His major accomplishments were exerting civilian control
over the armed forces and undertaking fundamental reform of the
judicial and electoral systems. With support from the United States,
the Organization of American States, and other countries in the
region, the Paraguayan people rejected an April 1996 attempt by
then-Army Chief Gen. Lino Oviedo to oust President Wasmosy, taking
an important step to strengthen democracy.
Oviedo became the Colorado candidate for president in the 1998 election, but when the Supreme Court upheld in April his conviction on charges related to the 1996 coup attempt, he was not allowed to run and remained in confinement. His running mate, Raul Cubas Grau, became the Colorado Party's candidate and was elected in May. The assassination of Vice-President Luis Maria Argana and the killing of eight student anti-government demonstrators, allegedly carried out by Oviedo supporters, led to Cubas’ resignation in March 1999. The President of the Senate, Luis Gonzalez Macchi, assumed the presidency and completed Cubas’ term. Gonzalez Macchi offered cabinet positions in his government to senior representatives of all three political parties in an attempt to create a coalition government that proved short-lived. Gonzalez Macchi’s government suffered many allegations of corruption, and Gonzalez himself was found not guilty in a Senate impeachment trial involving corruption and mismanagement charges in February 2003.
In April 2003, Colorado candidate Nicanor Duarte Frutos was elected president. He was inaugurated on August 15. Duarte’s administration has established a mixed record on attacking corruption and improving the quality of management. In his first year, Duarte worked constructively with an opposition-controlled Congress, removing six Supreme Court justices suspected of corruption from office and enacting major tax reforms. While Duarte remains the most dominant political figure, he faced stiff opposition mid-term from the opposition strongly opposed to his efforts to amend the Constitution to allow him to run for reelection. Macroeconomic performance has improved significantly under the Duarte administration, with inflation falling significantly, and the government clearing its arrears with international creditors. Unemployment remains stubbornly high and the living standard of most households has not improved. The administration has placed a strong emphasis on participating in international institutions and has used diplomacy to promote the opening of international markets to Paraguayan products. In June 2004, Oviedo returned to Paraguay from exile in Brazil and was imprisoned for his 1996 coup-plotting conviction. In November 2007, Oviedo’s criminal charges were overturned by the Supreme Court, and he is again pursuing the presidency.
On April 20, 2008, former Roman Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo (representing a coalition of opposition parties) was elected President. According to the National Election Tribunal (TSJE), Lugo won 40.8% of the vote. Colorado candidate Blanca Ovelar came in second with 30.6% of the vote, and UNACE's Lino Oviedo came in third with 21.9% of the vote. President-elect Lugo will assume office on August 15, 2008. Lugo has identified reduction of corruption and economic inequality as two of his priorities.
