MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguay: you won, but the presidential chair belongs to me

Pte. Lugo in his new presidential chair

Paraguay's new government of president Fernando Lugo claims the outgoing administration of Nicanor Duarte committed all sort of irregularities adding to millions of dollars before abandoning office, including the theft of the presidential chair.

"We found 80% of the transport fleet of a ministry totally disabled and hundreds of bureaucratic irregularities involving the promotion of staff before the change of administration", said Miguel Lopez Perito cabinet chief of President Lugo. Lopez Perito on Wednesday made a formal presentation to the Asuncion press of the different ministerial and government offices inventories (lost and found) including the missing presidential chair from Government House, which allegedly former president simply took home. Although there have been no comments from Mr. Duarte sources close to him claim he had the armchair specially made for him four years ago and once finished his mandate "he took it to his residence" located in one the Paraguayan capital fancy neighborhoods. Mr. Duarte who has not been seen since last Friday when he handed office and was booed by the public, is blamed for the electoral pounding suffered by his Partido Colorado which ruled Paraguay undisputedly for six decades, and is referred to as the "great field marshal of defeat". Divisions inside the Colorado Party helped former bishop President Lugo form a catch all coalition which finally ended the six decades rule. President Lugo has promised to cut poverty by half and indigence 20%, plus redistribute land during his four year tenure. Agriculture minister Candido Vera, a crucial post given the country's dependence on farming revealed that even farm equipment from government farms had disappeared. Lopez Perito added that in many government offices there was a massive re-categorization of staff as well as the existence of thousands of civil servants that only popped up at the end of the month to collect their salaries. In South America's largest dam, Itaipú, (jointly exploited with Brazil) the new Paraguayan co-director Carlos Mateo said he discovered 500 appointees with "first world salaries". Finance minister Dionisio Borda confirmed that the situation of hundreds of staff contracted between 2007 and 2008 by the Duarte administration "will be reviewed". "Under no circumstances will we accept or recognize all the staff contracts which were done under irregular conditions", underlined Lopez Perito. He also revealed an ongoing investigation into possible indications of boycott and sabotage against the Lugo administration since there are severe shortages of pharmaceutical products, cement and fuel. "Since three weeks ago farm and construction activities have been semi paralyzed because of lack of fuel and cement. Something similar has happened with pharmacy supplies", he said.