Paraguay

Ex-bishop, woman, ex-army chief top contenders for presidency

Article published on the 2008-04-20 Latest update 2008-04-21 11:52 TU

Uraguay's contenders for president (l to r): Fernando Lugo, Blanca Ovelar et Lino Oviedo.
(Photo: Reuters)

Polls opened Sunday as Paraguayans vote for their president and a new congress. Top spot contenders include Fernando Lugo, a popular suspended Catholic bishop, Lino Oviedo, a retired army chief and Blanca Ovelar, a female education minister.

The winner will replace outgoing President Nicanor Duarte, who cannot run again after serving his five-year term in the relatively new democracy that arose out of a 35-year military dictatorship in 1989.

Lugo, 56, represents the Patriotic Alliance for Change, a left-wing party. He was suspended by the church after entering the presidential race. He has professed his admiration in the past for controversial Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales of Bolivia.

While Lugo has been considered the frontrunner with an estimated 34 per cent of the vote, the race has been close.

Colorado, the ruling party, put forth Blanca Ovelar, 51, a former school teacher and education minister as its candidate. The party has ruled over the landlocked South American country for the past six decades. Polls show her taking 28.5 per cent of the vote.

Retired army chief Lino Oviedo, 64, also in the running, is not as prominent in the international media spotlight as his two opponents but he looks to take 29 per cent of the vote. He was released from prison last September after a court found that he had been a victim of political persecution.

The person with the most votes becomes Paraguay's next president, as there is no runoff vote. Among the pressing issues the winner will have to deal with is the problem of corruption.