|
General elections were held in Paraguay on 20 April 2008.〔("Paraguay.- Convocan en Paraguay elecciones generales para el mes de abril de 2008" ), Lukor.com, May 25, 2007 .〕 Elections were held for the presidency, 45 senators, 80 representatives, 17 governors and Paraguay's members in the Mercosur Parliament.〔(OAS mission highlights Paraguayan voters great participation - People's Daily Online )〕 The presidential election was won by opposition candidate Fernando Lugo of the Patriotic Alliance for Change, who defeated Blanca Ovelar of the long-ruling Colorado Party.〔("Opposition wins Paraguay polls" ), Al Jazeera, April 21, 2008.〕 The Colorado Party remained the largest in both houses of Congress despite losing several seats. ==Presidential candidates and campaigning == The following candidates ran for president: * Fernando Lugo, Patriotic Alliance for Change (APC) * Lino Oviedo, National Union of Ethical Citizens (UNACE) * Blanca Ovelar, Colorado Party (ANR-PC) * Pedro Fadul, Beloved Fatherland Party (PPQ) The incumbent president, Nicanor Duarte Frutos, was barred by the Constitution from running for reelection and instead supported his education secretary, Blanca Ovelar. Initial results in the Colorado Party's December 2007 primary showed Ovelar defeating former Vice President Luis Castiglioni,〔("Woman leads Paraguay ruling party's presidential primary" ), Associated Press (''International Herald Tribune''), December 17, 2007.〕 but the result was disputed, leading to a recount.〔("Once-jailed Paraguayan army chief nominated for opposition run for president" ), Associated Press (''The China Post''), January 14, 2008.〕 On January 21, 2008, the Colorado Party electoral commission announced that Ovelar had won with 45.04% of the vote against 44.5% for Castiglioni, although Castiglioni continued to claim victory, alleging that 30,000 votes in his favor were "stolen", and said that he would take the matter to court. Ovelar said that her campaign would shift its focus from the "cruel primary campaign" to the general election and that her platform prioritized "fight against poverty and to the creation of jobs".〔("Paraguay nominates first woman for president, ruling party schism threatens bid" ), Associated Press (''International Herald Tribune''), January 22, 2008.〕 Lugo is a former bishop who resigned from the priesthood in December 2006 in preparation for his presidential bid. As a priest, he required a permit from the Vatican to become directly involved in politics prior to 2006.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Angus Reid Global Monitor )〕 However, the Paraguayan constitution prohibits ministers of any faith from standing as a political candidate. Despite his resignation, the Vatican regards priesthood as a lifelong commitment but has suspended him from his duties. As bishop of San Pedro, a poor region, for ten years beginning in 1994, his support for landless peasants earned him a reputation as "the bishop of the poor".〔 He is an advocate of land reform and other measures to address poverty, but has distanced himself from leftists such as Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales, saying that he is not left-wing or right-wing but "in the middle". He vowed to end the Colorado Party's 61 year rule, fight corruption, and make Paraguay "a new country".〔Bill Cormier, ("Paraguay ex-bishop holds final rally" ), Associated Press, April 18, 2008.〕 According to Lugo, he believes "in the people's self-determination and in recovering sovereignty and independence". Lugo is backed by the Patriotic Alliance for Change (APC), which includes both left and right wing groups, notably the conservative Authentic Radical Liberal Party. President Duarte caused controversy just before the election by telling the ''Ultima Hora'' newspaper that Lugo "probably sells himself" for money from Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador.〔("Paraguayans head to the polls" ), Al Jazeera, April 20, 2008.〕 Ovelar, the Colorado candidate, said that she knew "what the people need and ... what has to be done". She said that she would focus on job creation and the strengthening of agricultural cooperatives, hoping to reduce the number of Paraguayans who emigrate for economic reasons.〔 According to Ovelar, Paraguay has "new needs that were not obvious before ... and they require the touch of a woman". If elected, Ovelar would have been Paraguay's first female president.〔 Lino Oviedo's conviction for mutiny was overturned by the Supreme Court in October 2007, leaving him free to run for president.〔("Paraguayan High Court Annuls Former General's Coup Conviction" ), VOA News, October 31, 2007.〕〔Bill Faries, ("Paraguay's Oviedo Cleared to Run for Presidency, Nacion Says" ), Bloomberg.com, October 31, 2007.〕 In January 2008 he was nominated as the candidate of his party, the National Union of Ethical Citizens, without opposition.〔 Ovelar held her last campaign rally in Asuncion on April 16. Along with Oviedo and Fadul, she participated in a last televised debate in the early afternoon of April 17; Lugo did not participate, and Ovelar criticized him for this. Lugo held his last rally in Asuncion later that night, with about 15,000 supporters present.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Paraguayan general election, 2008」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|