No subject

In Paraguay, Fernando Lugo sworn in as president
The inauguration of the leftist former bishop breaks a six-decade dominatio=
n by=20
one party in the poor South American nation.
By Patrick J. McDonnell
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

August 16, 2008

ASUNCION, PARAGUAY =E2=80=94 Former Roman Catholic Bishop Fernando Lugo, wh=
ose election=20
broke a six-decade legacy of dictatorship and one-party rule, was sworn in =
Friday
as president of this poor, landlocked nation in the heart of South America.

"Today a new Paraguay is born," Lugo told thousands of supporters and=20
various heads of state assembled outside the congressional palace in the no=
rmally
sleepy capital. "Today marks the end of an exclusive Paraguay, a secretive,
notoriously corrupt Paraguay."

This nation of 6 million has had a fragile democracy since the 1989 ouster =
of strongman
Alfredo Stroessner, who ruled for 35 years under the banner of the Colorado=
 Party.
But Stroessner's colorados retained power until Lugo's inauguration -- whic=
h
is being widely seen as the nation's definitive transition to democratic ru=
le.

Lugo is the latest leftist leader to assume office in a region that a gener=
ation
ago was largely ruled by U.S.-backed military dictatorships. Left-leaning, =
democratically
elected presidents of eight South American nations were on hand to pay homa=
ge to
their newest colleague in an impressive display of solidarity.

"This is a victory for the Latin American revolution," declared Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez upon arriving at his hotel, where he was warmly embra=
ced by
Lugo.

Oil-rich Venezuela is reported to be considering funding a new university h=
ere,=20
part of Lugo's stated desire to improve the country's long- neglected educa=
tional
and health infrastructure.

However, Lugo has refrained from the U.S.-bashing style of Chavez and has s=
ignaled
a closer affinity for the policies of the region's more moderate leaders, s=
uch
as Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Chile's Michelle Bache=
let,
both firm U.S. allies who attended Lugo's inauguration. The Bush administra=
tion
has welcomed Lugo, and it sent a sizable delegation.

Asuncion, for decades the repressive stronghold of the Stroessner dictators=
hip,=20
has drawn a celebratory gathering of Latin American leftists.

"I have come to share the joy of this country for the new era that begins w=
ith
Lugo," Eduardo Galeano, a Uruguayan writer known for his political commenta=
ry,
told a crowd gathered at a downtown theater, where he was greeted by the ne=
w president.

Lugo, 57, rose from his status as hero of the landless poor to assemble a b=
road=20
coalition that toppled the ruling party in April's elections. The presidenc=
y
is his first elective office.

As bishop of a rural province, Lugo often sided with the disenfranchised ag=
ainst
the government and large landowners. A former parish priest and missionary,=
 he comes
from a middle-class family of former Colorado Party activists that split wi=
th Stroessner.

Lugo resigned as bishop and left the priesthood to run for president, a mov=
e that
angered a Vatican hierarchy historically hostile to clerics seeking politic=
al office.
After Lugo's election, however, Pope Benedict XVI reluctantly agreed to ret=
urn
Lugo to lay status.

Lugo has remained a devout Catholic and unabashed advocate of Liberation Th=
eology,
a Third World movement that champions the downtrodden but has been assailed=
 by the
Vatican for Marxist influences.

After the inauguration, Lugo and his sister, Mercedes Lugo, attended a chur=
ch service
at the nearby cathedral.

"The church has shown me how the poor live in this country," Lugo said
in an interview with The Times this spring. "That inspires me to work on be=
half
of this class that is so demeaned, so abandoned, so forgotten."

As he did throughout his campaign, the gray-bearded Lugo, sporting his trad=
emark
embroidered white shirt without jacket or tie, emphasized the fight against=
 the=20
corruption and nepotism that have long stifled progress and resulted in the=
 emigration
of millions of Paraguayans.

"Today begins the story of a Paraguay whose authorities and people will be=
=20
implacably against the country's thieves," he said.

A poll published Friday showed Lugo's popularity ratings soaring to about 9=
0%
in a nation clearly eager for political and social change. However, as he b=
egins
his five-year term, he faces competing demands from peasants and the small =
percentage
of landowners who control most of the wealth.

The Colorado Party, now representing a powerful opposition bloc, has signal=
ed its
intention to fight some of Lugo's planned leftist reforms. Lugo ran under t=
he
banner of the Patriotic Alliance for Change, a coalition of left-wing and c=
onservative
groups with often-clashing agendas.

"It's not going to be easy," Lugo said of the challenge he faces.=20
"But it won't be impossible."

patrick.mcdonnell @latimes.com=20



=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
     WALTER LIPPMANN
     Los Angeles, California
     Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews
     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/
     "Cuba - Un Para=C3=ADso bajo el bloqueo"
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D