Paraguay’s Superior Electoral Tribunal, TSJE said on Wednesday that representatives from Unasur, Union of South American Nations, would be present as observers of the electoral process scheduled for next April. The accord was signed by TSJE president Alberto Ramirez Zamonini and the head of Unasur High Level Group, Salomon Lerner.
Re-elected Ecuadorean president Rafael Correa is hopeful “transparent and democratic” elections will be held in Paraguay next April, a country with which he is waiting to normalize relations.
Paraguay health officials have detected a new strain of the tropical mosquito-transmitted disease dengue identified as serotype 4, the first case reported since last year which expands significantly the population’s exposure. Likewise the latest official report indicates 26 confirmed dengue deaths and over 13.000 infected.
Abattoirs in Paraguay during January slaughtered 73% more cattle than a year ago indicating strong demand both from overseas and local markets, but also the end of restrictions because of the foot and mouth disease outbreaks that last year knocked out the land locked country from foreign markets.
The Paraguayan government announced on Sunday that it will invite international experts to investigate the circumstances of the death of presidential candidate and controversial political figure Lino Oviedo Saturday night when the helicopter transporting him crashed.
Paraguay has formally requested to become an observer of the Alliance of the Pacific, revealed Foreign minister Jose Felix Fernandez Estigarribia, The Pacific group is made up of Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile, and actively promotes foreign investment and the private sector.
Chile confirmed that Paraguay finally decided not to attend the EU/CELAC summit in Chile putting an end to a controversy when it emerged that several Mercosur and Unasur members insisted that the landlocked country should not be invited.
Paraguay’s health authorities have reported that sixteen people have died of dengue disease since the beginning of the year, ten directly infected and the other six as a consequence of other complications.
The number of tourists arriving to Uruguay in the first weeks of this summer season has dropped 14% compared to the same period a year ago, which represents 20.600 less, mostly Argentines and Brazilians, according to Benjamin Liberoff, Director of Tourism.
Uruguay’s economy is poised to grow 4% this year and in 2014, which is above the region’s average, according to the World Bank’s latest Global Economic Prospects issued this week. However Uruguay will be ranked twelfth in the growth ranking of Latinamerica this year but ahead of Brazil and Argentina with 3.4%.