Paraguay

• Friday, December 14th 2012 - 07:46 UTC

  Paraguay blasts Mercosur and Argentina and calls to follow ‘Chile’s example’

  

  Paraguay’s industrial union, UIP, lashed at Mercosur over the incorporation of Venezuela as a full member and Argentina’s reiterated lack of respect for signed agreements and understandings.

• Tuesday, December 11th 2012 - 18:29 UTC

  Paraguayan opposition nominates candidate for April 2013 presidential election

  

  Banker and tobacco businessman Horacio Cartes will be the presidential candidate of Paraguay’s main opposition party, Colorado, for the April 2013 elections having won last Sunday the primary election with almost 60% of the vote.

• Tuesday, December 11th 2012 - 05:50 UTC

  Paraguay: UN demands clarification of peasants’ killings that triggered political crisis

  

  The United Nations resident coordinator called on the Paraguayan government to investigate and clarify the killings of Curuguaty last June, which triggered the removal of then President Fernando Lugo and his replacement by Federico Franco.

• Saturday, December 8th 2012 - 03:59 UTC

  Paraguay rejects Mercosur decisions involving Bolivia and Uruguay

  

  Paraguay rejected the incorporation of Bolivia to Mercosur which took place on Friday at the summit in Brasilia and criticized the fact Uruguay accepted the group’s chair for the next six months skipping Paraguay, currently suspended from the regional organization.

• Thursday, December 6th 2012 - 21:44 UTC

  Mercosur (as Unasur) ratifies the suspension of Paraguay until at least April

  

  Mercosur Foreign ministers announced in Brasilia on Thursday that the suspension of Paraguay from the group stands at least until the coming presidential election on April 2013.

• Thursday, December 6th 2012 - 07:57 UTC

  Brazil anticipates Mercosur summit will confirm Paraguay’s suspension stands

  

  Paraguay must continue suspended from Mercosur following the group’s presidential summit on Friday, anticipated the head of the Latin American desk from the Brazilian Foreign ministry, Antonio Jose Ferreira Simoes.

• Wednesday, December 5th 2012 - 19:02 UTC

  Paraguay furious with Brazil for confirming Unasur suspension until August 2013

  

  Paraguay declared “entirely unacceptable” statements from Brazilian Foreign minister Antonio Patriota who said that the April 2013 elections are “only an important step to re-examine” the country’s suspension from Unasur and Mercosur. Patriota’s statement was supported by Argentina.

• Wednesday, December 5th 2012 - 05:08 UTC

  Human rights commission demands urgent investigation into killing of Paraguayan peasant leader

  

  The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemns the murder in Paraguay of human rights defender Vidal Vega, leader of the Campesinos sin Tierra movement (Landless Campesinos) and president of the Committee of Relatives of Victims of the Curuguaty Massacre and urges the State of Paraguay to investigate and clear up these crimes, and punish those who perpetrated and masterminded them.

• Tuesday, December 4th 2012 - 18:34 UTC

  OAS envoy open support for Paraguayan president Franco and electoral process

  

  The head of the Organization of Americas States, OAS electoral observers’ mission said that Federico Franco was the legitimate democratic president of Paraguay committed to holding transparent elections next April, elections which nobody in the world questions.

• Tuesday, December 4th 2012 - 05:44 UTC

  Paraguay economy poised to expand 11.3% in 2013 propped by agriculture

  

  The Paraguayan economy is poised to expand 11.3% next year propped by the strong recovery from agriculture according to Pricewaterhouse Coopers, an estimate far more optimist than the 9.5% of the government budget.