Paraguay Senate plans to reject instruments used by Mercosur to sanction the country

Tuesday, October 9th 2012 - 01:38 UTC

Full article 3 comments

Ex president Lugo signed the Ushuaia II protocol but was never approved by the Paraguayan congress

The Paraguayan Senate will be addressing on Thursday the Ushuaia II Protocol and the Unasur Additional Protocol on democratic commitment, both instruments used by Mercosur and Unasur last June to have Paraguay suspended from the two organizations.

The Senate Thursday ordinary agenda decided to include a resolution draft on both protocols on initiative from one of the House members, but it will all depend on the Executive effectively remitting the “Montevideo Protocol on Democracy Commitment in Mercosur (Ushuaia II)”.

The motion requests the Executive to remit to congress the Montevideo Protocol on democracy commitment so it can discuss the issue and although the formality is not binding it does carry a strong political pressure.

The Ushuaia II protocol was signed by former Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo on 20 December 2011, during the Montevideo Mercosur summit. However despite not having the ratification of the Paraguayan congress, the document was used by Mercosur members to sanction Paraguay after the removal of Lugo from office following an almost unanimous impeachment in the Senate.

Paraguayan president Federico Franco had shown support to rejecting the Ushuaia II text while Senator, but so far has not sent the protocol to Congress.

Likewise the Senate will be addressing a similar document: “Additional protocol to the Unasur constitutive treaty on democratic commitment”, which apparently has a growing consensus, and majority, favourable to rejecting it. Only a few Senators described as ‘left-wing’ are planning to approve it.

Categories: Politics, Latin America, Mercosur, Paraguay.

Tags: Federico Franco, Fernando Lugo, Mercosur, Paraguay, Paraguayan Senate, Ushuaia II protocol.

Top Comments

Disclaimer & comment rules

Britworker
Well done Paraguay, they broke the rules when they got Chaves I'm by the back door, you have no need to play by their rules anymore.
Oct 09th, 2012 - 01:03 pm 0
BAMF Paraguay
How much more obvious could it get that the reason for these “agreements” was to essentially further the radical leftist movement, insuring that should any country's government decide to go against the left they would end up like Paraguay or even worse. The idea that a country would allow itself to be invaded by 3 other countries because it decides to impeach a President is an absolute joke. I like Paraguay because they have big balls and and don't bow before her neighbors.
Oct 09th, 2012 - 09:32 pm 0
hegemonje
Paraguay will get back to Unasur after the elections. The Paraguayan people know that Franco got into power through an undemocratic parlamentary coup so they will elect someone who actually cares for the interests of the paraguayan people. Venezuela in the Mercosur is a great development, it just backs up the tendency towards LATM's integration and anyone who disputes this claim is blind to South Americas's social democratic reality. I stand with my Paraguayan and Venezuelan brothers and sisters!
Oct 15th, 2012 - 11:06 am 0

Read all comments

Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!