| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Congreso / Congress |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name (generic / translated) |
Cámara de Senadores / Senate |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Cámara de Diputados / Chamber of Deputies
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
20 April 2008 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all seats in the Senate on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
The April 2008 parliamentary elections were held jointly with presidential polls. At stake were 80 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 45 in the Senate.
The National Republican Association-Colorado Party (ANR) had been the largest party since 1947
including during the dictatorship of General Alfred Stroessner from 1954 to 1989. In the previous elections held in April 2003
the ANR obtained its worst results since the country returned to democracy in 1989. Although its leader
Nicanor Duarte Frutos
was elected as the country's President
the ANR failed to win a majority in either chamber
taking 37 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 16 in the Senate.
The main opposition Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA) took 21 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 12 in the Senate. Another opposition party - the National Union of Ethical Citizens (UNACE) - founded by the exiled former army chief Lino Cesar Oviedo in 2000 - won ten and seven seats respectively. The remainder went to small parties. Mr. Oviedo returned to Paraguay in 2004 and was jailed for his alleged involvement in an earlier military uprising until September 2007
when a military court ordered his release. In October
the Supreme Court exonerated him of all charges. In January 2008
he was nominated as the UNACE's candidate for the presidential elections.
President Duarte Frutos initially announced that he would seek to amend the Constitution to be able to run for the presidency again. Finally
he endorsed the then Education Minister
Ms. Blanca Ovelar. In December
Ms. Ovelar won the ANR's nomination
becoming the first-ever woman presidential candidate in the country. Her rival
the then Vice-President Luis Castiglioni
alleged fraud and insisted that his faction (Vanguardia Colorado) was the real ANR. The internal split reportedly weakened the ANR prior to the 2008 elections.
In December 2007
the opposition centre-left Patriotic Alliance for Change (APC) endorsed former Roman Catholic bishop
Fernando Lugo
as its presidential candidate. The APC comprised the PLRA
the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP)
the Party for a Country of Solidarity (PPS)
Mr. Lugo's Tekojoja (Equality) Popular Movement (MPT)
several other small leftist parties as well as civil society organizations
trade unions and small farmers' associations. Most APC candidates ran for elections under the banner of individual parties within the alliance.
Mr. Lugo
known as the "bishop of the poor"
pledged to tackle corruption and poverty. He also promised land reforms and stated his intention to renegotiate contracts for the Itaipu hydroelectric dam on the border between Brazil and Paraguay
in order to develop Paraguay's economy. On 20 March 2008
former Paraguayan football star José Luis Chilavert announced that he would support Mr. Lugo
arguing that he was the only candidate who could bring the change that the country needed.
Many analysts argued that the election of Ms. Ovelar would allow President Duarte Frutos to maintain control over the country's politics. Ms. Ovelar warned that Mr. Lugo would implement leftist policies similar to those in Bolivia and Venezuela.
Mr. Oviedo's UNACE advocated conservative policies on social issues. Like the APC
it pledged to work for the poor in the country. About 60 per cent of the 6.6 million inhabitants reportedly live in poverty.
Thousands of Paraguayans living in Argentina returned to the country to vote. Many of them were reportedly supporters of Mr. Lugo's alliance. Over 65 per cent of the 2.9 million eligible voters turned out at the polls.
The elections went off in relative peace
although some irregularities - such as late opening of some polling stations and claims of multiple voting - were reported.
International observers
including a delegation from the Organization of American States (OAS)
monitored the polls. The OAS praised the high turnout and declared that the polls were conducted in a climate of "total normality".
Though the ANR remained the largest party in both chambers
its margin was significantly reduced. It took 30 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 15 seats in the Senate. The parties in the APC won a total of 31 and 17 seats respectively. The UNACE took 15 and nine seats respectively. In all
ten women were elected to the Chamber of Deputies
and seven to the Senate.
In the presidential elections
Mr. Lugo (APC) was elected with over 42 per cent of the valid votes
ending more than six decades of ANR rule.
On 1 July
the newly elected Congress held its first session. The Chamber of Deputies elected Mr. Enrique Buzarquis Cáceres (PLRA) as its new Speaker
while the Senate chose Mr. Enrique González Quintana (UNACE) as its new President.
On 15 August
Mr. Lugo was sworn in as the country's President. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 20 April 2008 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
2'861'940
1'990'817 (69.56%)
118'257
1'872'560 |
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| National Republican Association (ANR)-Colorado Party |
15
|
|
|
|
|
| Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA) |
14
|
|
|
|
|
| National Union of Ethical Citizens (UNACE) |
9
|
|
|
|
|
| Beloved Fatherland Movement ("Patria Querida"
PPQ) |
4
|
|
|
|
|
| Party for a Country of Solidarity (PPS) |
1
|
|
|
|
|
| Democratic Progressive Party (PDP) |
1
|
|
|
|
|
| Popular Movement Tekojoja (MPT) |
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
38
7
15.56%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
| Source: http://www.tsje.gov.py/e2008/res_2008/senadores.html |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
