Paraguay

• Monday, April 22nd 2013 - 06:34 UTC

  Paraguay’s Colorados back in office; opposition admits defeat; observers praise election process

  

  Millionaire businessman Horacio Cartes won Paraguay's Sunday presidential election, returning the powerful centre-right Colorado Party to power after a brief spell started in 2008 ended in impeachment last year. Cartes won with a 9 or 10 percentage point lead over Efrain Alegre of the ruling Liberal Party, the head of the country's electoral tribunal said.

• Thursday, April 18th 2013 - 21:39 UTC

  “Democracy in Paraguay is here to stay: Mercosur and Unasur have become irrelevant”

  

  “We’re optimistic about Sunday’s election and the future of Paraguay if we can agree on long term state policies, but something is for certain: democracy in Paraguay is here to stay” said Ricardo Caballero Aquino, Chargé d’affaires of the Paraguayan embassy in Montevideo who was also positive about future relations with Unasur and Mercosur.

• Thursday, April 18th 2013 - 05:39 UTC

  Paraguay elects president on Sunday but return to Unasur still distant

  

  Paraguay will be electing a new president on Sunday and its re-incorporation to the Union of South American Nations, Unasur could happen under the new government anticipated Salomon Lerner, chief observer of the regional group.

• Thursday, April 18th 2013 - 05:30 UTC

  Cartes and Alegre with best chances of becoming Paraguayan president on Sunday

  

  On Thursday evening all of Paraguayan presidential candidates will be holding their final rallies after which begins a 48-hour ban of all electoral activities ahead of Sunday’s general election. Two candidates outstand in the dispute, Horacio Cartes from the Colorado party and Efrain Alegre from the ruling coalition headed by the Liberals.

• Monday, April 1st 2013 - 10:08 UTC

  Paraguayan president visits Spain and the OAS where he has ample support

  

  Paraguay’s president Federico Franco has arrived in Madrid, a special guest of his peer Mariano Rajoy with whom he will be holding talks at the Moncloa Palace. Rajoy is particularly interested in showing his support for President Franco and Paraguay that have been suspended from Mercosur and Unasur because of the removal by Congress, following political impeachment of Fernando Lugo.

• Wednesday, March 27th 2013 - 19:12 UTC

  Conservative candidate leads polls in Paraguay April 21 presidential election

  

  Paraguay businessman Horacio Cartes a newcomer to politics and the presidential candidate for the conservative Colorado party that ruled the landlocked country for decades leads public opinion polls less than a month ahead of the general election.

• Tuesday, March 26th 2013 - 21:08 UTC

  Paraguay does not accept Venezuela as the next chair of Mercosur

  

  Paraguay, suspended from Mercosur and Unasur since last June rejected point-blank the possibility that Venezuela takes the chair of the regional trade group as of next June during the summit scheduled to take place in Uruguay.

• Wednesday, March 20th 2013 - 07:54 UTC

  UK reopens embassy in Paraguay in July and names Latam expert ambassador

  

  The UK has appointed ambassador to Paraguay as part of the current government’s plan to recover lost ground in Latinamerica. The British embassy in Asunción was closed in 2005 and has since had a non resident ambassador based in Buenos Aires.

• Tuesday, March 19th 2013 - 06:26 UTC

  Opposition candidate leads vote intention for Paraguay’s presidential election in April

  

  With just over a month for Paraguay’s presidential election the opposition candidate from the Colorado Party, Horacio Cartes is ahead with 37.3% vote intention followed by Efrain Alegre who represents the ruling Alianza with 30.3%, according to a public opinion poll contracted by the Asunción newspaper ABC Color and released on Monday.

• Monday, March 4th 2013 - 05:20 UTC

  OAS mission praises Paraguay’s Electoral Court organizing 21 April elections

  

  Oscar Airas, chief of the OAS Electoral Observation and Political Accompaniment Mission in Paraguay completed his second visit to Asunción collecting information from different sources ahead of the coming general elections scheduled for April 21.