Paraguay votes to elect successor to Lugo

Voting started in Paraguay in an election that's considered crucial to it's international relations. Source: AAP

VOTING has started in Paraguay in an election which is considered crucial to restoring the country's international relations after the speedy impeachment of president Fernando Lugo 10 months ago.

Polling stations opened at 1100 GMT (2100 AEST) on Sunday and were set to close nine hours later. The first preliminary official results were expected to be known about two hours after voting ends.

Around 3.5 million people are registered to vote in the country of 6.6 million. They will choose in a single round of voting a president and vice president and members of Congress and governors among other offices.

After Lugo's exit in June 2012, Paraguay was suspended from membership of both the South American trade bloc Mercosur and the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) because the country's neighbours thought the impeachment was in fact an "institutional coup."

Paraguay is expected to be re-admitted to both groups at the latest after the new president is inaugurated on August 15.

The two top candidates in Sunday's presidential election represent the parties that controversially moved to impeach former bishop Lugo and replaced him with then-vice president Federico Franco.

Horacio Cartes, 57, the candidate of the Colorado Party, which led the country since the days of dictator Alfredo Stroessner until Lugo's election, was regarded as the sure winner until a few weeks ago, with a lead of around 10 percentage points according to opinion polls.

Efrain Alegre, 50, the candidate of interim president Franco's Liberal Party, braced his chances last week through an alliance with the nationalist Unace. Unace's candidate, former coup leader Lino Oviedo, died in a helicopter crash in early February.

More than 300 international observers deployed by the Organisation of American States (OAS), Unasur, the European Union and other institutions are to keep watch over the election.

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

Paraguay votes to elect successor to Lugo

Dengan url

http://jemuranduit.blogspot.com/2013/04/paraguay-votes-to-elect-successor-to.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

Paraguay votes to elect successor to Lugo

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

Paraguay votes to elect successor to Lugo

sebagai sumbernya