Americas News
Former bishop wins election in Paraguay, exit polls say
By DPA
Apr 21, 2008, 0:56 GMT

Asuncion, Paraguay - Centre-left candidate Fernando Lugo, a former Roman Catholic bishop, won a historic election Sunday in Paraguay, according to exit poll results released after the end of voting.

If confirmed by official results, Lugo's triumph would oust the conservative Partido Colorado, which has ruled uninterrupted for 61 years including more than 30 years under dictator Alfredo Stroessner.

According to exit polls published by the daily ABC Digital, Lugo was set to obtain around 43 per cent of the vote to ruling-party candidate Blanca Ovelar's 37 per cent and former coup leader General Lino Oviedo's 16 per cent.

The electoral commission reported high turnout, which observers had said was likely to favour Lugo.

According to Paraguayan election law, a plurality is enough for the winner of Sunday's election to succeed outgoing President Nicanor Duarte Frutos, with a five-year mandate.

Ovelar, however, claimed that the election was technically tied and said that she was waiting for the official results 'with optimism, responsibility and confidence.'

Lugo was set to appear before reporters later Sunday.

Paraguayans went to the polls without major incidents Sunday amid some reports of fraud.

Election observers in Paraguay have accused the Partido Colorado, which has ruled since 1947, of election fraud in favour of its candidate, Ovelar, national media reported.

Lugo, 46, had led most pre-election surveys.

Polling stations opened at 7 am (1100 GMT) and closed about nine hours later.

Observers from the Organization of American States and the Paraguay section of the non-government organization Transparency said that people not on electoral rolls were allowed to vote, somes ballots were handed out with marks already made for the ruling party, personal IDs were 'bought,' and voters were escorted into voting booths by Colorado supporters.

The opposition and independent observers in the capital Asuncion in recent days had warned of possible fraud by the Partido Colorado.

Outgoing President Duarte voted in Asuncion and called on Paraguayans to go to the polls 'in peace' to move the country toward 'development and understanding.'

Some 2.8 million Paraguayans were entitled to vote Sunday. In addition to the presidency, they voted on 45 new senators, 80 provincial legislators, 17 governors and 400 district councillors, as well as Paraguay's representatives in the regional parliament of the South American trade bloc Mercosur.

Voting is compulsory in Paraguay for anyone aged 18-75.

Paraguay's heavily agricultural economy is a large producer of soya and beef, commodities whose prices have sharply increased in recent years on world markets. The majority of Paraguayans still live in poverty.

As neighbouring Argentina and Uruguay have been able to grow, Paraguay continued to stagnate, leading many to migrate, particularly to Spain.