Paraguay and Paraguayan News

Country Profile
Paraguay,officially the Republic of Paraguay is a landlocked Country in South America.Due to its central location in South America, it is sometimes referred to as Corazón de América, or the Heart of America.
Paraguay consists of 17 Departments and 1 Capital District.
Capital                             Asuncion
Currency                         Guarani
Official Language             Spanish
Population                       6.5 Million
Flag of Paraguay

History
Paraguay's 1st ruler was the Dictator Jose Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia who ruled Paraguay from 1814, until his death in 1840.
After Jose Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia's death, Carlos Antonio Lopez, Francia's nephew, declared himself dictator.
Paraguayan independence from Argentina was declared in 1842.
After Carlos Antonio Lopez's death, power was transferred to his eldest son, Francisco SolanoLopez  in 1862 whose expansionist aims lead to the Paraguayan War(1864 to 1870)fought  between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina,Brazil and Uruguay,bloodiest war in South America resulting in  that of a Paraguayan population of somewhere between 450,000 and 900,000, only 220,000 survived the war, of whom only 28,000 were adult males.Paraguay also suffered extensive territorial losses to Brazil and Argentina.
Between 1904 and 1954, Paraguay had 31 Presidents, most of whom were removed from office by force .
From 1954 to 1989, the country was ruled by Dictator Alfredo Stroessner and the Colorado partyThe dictator oversaw an era of economic expansion, but also had a poor human rights.

Paraguay’s President ousted in impeachment trial 

 

 Paraguay’s Senate removed President Fernando Lugo from office in a rapid impeachment trial on Friday June 22,2012 and Vice-President Federico Franco was promptly sworn in as President after tense hours during which Mr. Lugo’s supporters massed in the streets facing off with riot police.
Federico Franco of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party, is now to serve out the rest of Mr. Lugo’s term, which ends in August 2013

The Senate tried Lugo on five charges of malfeasance in office, including an alleged role in a deadly confrontation between police and landless farmers that left 17 dead.

After the five-hour trial, 39 Senators voted to dismiss Mr. Lugo, while four Senators voted against and two were absent.

The outgoing President, who was elected on pledges of helping the poor, averted the potential for a bigger conflict by appearing on television and saying he would comply with the Senate’s vote.

“I say goodbye as President,” a smiling and gracious Mr. Lugo said shortly after the Senate vote. He said, however, that Paraguay’s democracy “has been deeply wounded.” 

The President Fernando Lugo also was tried on four other accusations -

that he improperly allowed for leftist parties to hold a political meeting in an army base in 2009; 

that he allowed about 3,000 squatters to illegally invade a large Brazilian-owned soybean farm; 

that his government failed to capture members of a guerrilla group, the Paraguayan People’s Army, which carries out extortion kidnappings and occasional attacks on police; and 

that he signed an international protocol without properly submitting it to Congress for approval. 

Mercosur suspends Paraguay over Fernando Lugo Impeachment

 

The 'Mercosur' Trade Bloc has suspended Paraguay over the impeachment of President Fernando Lugo on June 22,2012

(Mercosur or Mercosul is an economic and political agreement among (Mercosur or Mercosul is and Economic and Political Agreement among -Argentina,Brazil,Paraguay and Uruguay  founded in 1991 by the Treaty of Asuncion. Its purpose is to promote Free Trade and the fluid movement of goods, people, and currency)

The Presidents of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay said Paraguay would remain outside the bloc until the next presidential election in April,2013.