Protests Erupt in Paraguay Over Efforts to Extend President’s Term
By SIMON ROMEROMARCH 31, 2017
Protesters in Paraguay stormed the Congress and set fire to part of the building on Friday after the Senate voted to amend the
Constitution to allow President Horacio Cartes to seek re-election, raising concerns over renewed political instability.
The protests stunned some political leaders who were pushing for the amendment, with the lower house of Congress
suspending a vote scheduled for the weekend on the measure, according to Paraguayan news reports.
"I am calling for harmony." The tension over efforts to amend the Constitution in favor of Mr. Cartes, a conservative tobacco magnate elected
to a five-year term in 2013, reveal how Paraguay remains shaken by the 35-year rule of Gen. Alfredo Stroessner from 1954 to 1989.
With many Paraguayans distrustful of strong leaders as a result of
that period, the 1992 Constitution imposed strong checks on executive power and limited the president to a single five-year term.
Meanwhile, Mr. Cartes, 60, issued a statement on Friday night in which he blamed his opponents
and the news media for the protests, saying they had "the objective of destroying democracy." Santi Carneri contributed reporting.
In a twist, supporters of Mr. Lugo, who is now a senator, have also backed the re-election amendment, spurring speculation
that he may stand to benefit from the measure if he mounts a successful bid for the presidency next year.
