MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Most South American capitals belong to the opposition.

The capital city governments of most South American countries are in the hands of a party contrary to the government at national level.

Only in Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay and to a certain extend Venezuela, mayors of Buenos Aires, La Paz, Asunción and Caracas are aligned with the main ruling national coalition, according to a paper from the Argentine consulting company "Nueva Mayoría".

The report indicates that between May 2000 and October 2003 the capital cities of Montevideo, Quito, La Paz, Santiago, Caracas, Asunción, Brasilia, Lima, Buenos Aires and Bogota renewed elected authorities.

In Montevideo, the current mayor, belonging to the main opposition party of the national government, was re-elected; in Quito, Ecuador, the mayor responds to an opposition group; in La Paz, Bolivia, in June 2000 an independent candidate took office and first supported ousted president Sánchez de Lozada and now backs the current administration of caretaker president Carlos Mesa.

Venezuela is an interesting case since it has two mayors, one in the heart of Caracas that belongs to President Hugo Chávez party and another in the metropolitan area an independent who is rabidly anti-Chavez. The situation is a precise picture of the current division in Venezuelan politics and society.

In Chile the city of Santiago is ruled by Conservative Joaquín Lavín president Ricardo Lagos' main opposition candidate.

Brasilia is in the hands of Joaquim Roriz who belongs to a centre right party contrary to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's left-wing coalition.

In Paraguay, Asunción mayor belongs to the same party as the just elected president Mr. Duarte Frutos; however in Argentina and Bolivia even when supporting the ruling coalition at national level the mayors have their own independent forces.

The paper concludes that in the ten capitals of South America, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay local governments are ruled by the opposition and in the other four, mayors are aligned with the ruling coalition at national level.