Urgent meeting of Unasur leaders to address the Paraguayan situation

Thursday, June 21st 2012 - 16:35 UTC

Full article 3 comments

Unasur presidents attending the Rio+20 summit met urgently on Thursday to analyze the current political situation in Paraguay where President Fernando Lugo is facing political impeachment following a land eviction incident that killed 17 peasants and policemen.

The Union of South American Nations leaders participating are Uruguay’s Jose Mujica; Ecuador’s, Rafael Correa; Bolivia’s Evo Morales; Chile’s Sebastián Piñera and host of the Rio+20 summit, Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff.

Other members, Argentine president Cristina Fernandez on Wednesday had to return to Buenos Aires to face a three-day teamsters strike that is leaving the country without fuel and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez is recovering from cancer and has a limited agenda.

The Paraguayan Lower house controlled by the opposition overwhelmingly approved to initiate the impeachment process (76 to 1), while the Senate is expected to take a vote in the next few hours, with a similar outcome.

In a national broadcast President Lugo accused Congress of trying to interrupt the normal democratic process and anticipated he would not resign.

Presidential elections are scheduled for next May 2013. Lugo elected in 2008 with the support of a catch-all coalition headed by the Liberal party, one of the two main political forces in the country, has lost all support.

Categories: Politics, Latin America, Paraguay.

Tags: Fernando Lugo, Paraguay, peasant farmers, Unasur.

Top Comments

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ChrisR
Well, as an ordained Bishop, I bet he thinks God has deserted him: not true.

There is no God, so he had better resign and let someone more qualified, such as Morales, the coca chewer; Rafael Correa, the nutter; Chavez, another nutter (oh, no he's dead man walking); The Mad Bitch of Argentina, oh, no: she's fcuked her country anyway.

So who is left?

Mike Summers from the FIG could do it part time! Ha, ha, ha, ha.
Jun 21st, 2012 - 07:30 pm 0
Sergio Vega
UNASUR is a clown's club.....and too much paid, also....!!!
Jun 22nd, 2012 - 03:13 am 0
British_Kirchnerist
Good to see that even though she had to miss the meeting to put her own country in order, Cristina has taken a lead in opposing the coup
Jun 24th, 2012 - 01:55 pm 0

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