Three nights before the Paraguayan presidential elections we bore witness to this parade of cars, horns, flags, fireworks, and loudspeakers in support of Blanca Ovelar and the Colorado party. This video is about 6 minutes out of the 30-45 minute stream of cars going past our house and through all of Luque! Paraguay seems to be very fired up about the elections. We have seen government (Colorado) workers taking down campaign signs of other parties. There are rumors about the Colorados fixing the vote in favor of Blanca. (There are many rumors here so it is difficult to know what is really happening) On election day, April 20th, I (Weylin) will go with our friend Gladys to the voting station and hopefully get some good pics to share with all of you!– Hopefully not of anything too exciting.
The video is nothing fancy, just a parade of cars and noise, but it gives you a taste of how things are right now. Legal Disclaimer: we do not support any political party in this race.
There’s going to be a presidential election here in Paraguay at the end of this month (April 20th). We’ve been hearing a lot about the candidates and about Paraguayan history over these last couple of months. Three candidates from three parties are competing in this final presidential election:
The standing president, Nicanor Duarte Frutos, is at his term limit (one term of 5 years- though he did try to pass legislation allowing him to have another term!) and is now running for a senate position (some have indicated this is part of his plan to remain in power). His choosen colorado party successor is Blanca Ovelar (again, some say she was picked as a person loyal to Nicanor, and who will help him stay in power). The colorado party dates back to the late 1940’s when Stroessner came to power here in Paraguay, and having ruled Paraguay for over 61 years it is the longest ruling party in the world! Stroessner used the colorado party to legitimise his dictatorship and to maintain his power. He also used it effectively to supress other groups. Since his rise to power, up though today, the colorado political party has maintained a majority control over the “political” process in Paraguay, even after Stroessner was overthrown in a coup in 1989, February 2-3. Needless to say, there is great historical inertia for another Colrado to take the reins. Adding to this is the fact that Presidents, and ruling parties have the power to appoint in many many governmental positions- so a change in ruling party would lead to a potential in power and influence throughout the country, especially since things get done largely by who you know- more inertia and resistance to change.
This has turned into a lengthier post than I planned, so I will post about the other 2 candidates in upcoming days. For anyone interested in more detailed information about Paraguay, it’s people, culture and history, the Library of Congress has some very comprehensive information.
As we watch the elections process here in Paraguay, I keep wondering what this process has to teach us about the U.S. presidential elections process. These two cultures that are seemingly worlds apart, I believe, actually have a great deal in common if their power structures are looked at from a macro perspective– multiple levels of abstraction away from the details differentiating our peoples.
Thanks for joining us in our Process. We're back from the beyond and settling into Cleveland, 2 PhD efforts, a new house, and 1.5 children-- no boredom here! Our foreign adventure has passed but "domestic" adventures are emerging. Stay tuned for anecdotes and updates.
Trust the Process.
There’s going to be a presidential election here in Paraguay at the end of this month (April 20th). We’ve been hearing a lot about the candidates and about Paraguayan history over these last couple of months. Three candidates from three parties are competing in this final presidential election:
