Paraguay Leftist Alliance Asks OAS Intervention Before Elections

The opposition coalition of progressive parties GANAR filed a complaint before the Washington-based Organization States of America about allegations of electoral fraud, after the country's electoral approved the candidacy of outgoing President Horacio Cartes for a seat in Senate.

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Ahead of the April 22 general elections, Leo Rubin, GANAR's candidate for the vice-presidency, handed a letter to OAS General Secretary Luis Almagro.

“We are requesting Mr. Secretary General to interfere urgently on the case as the mission of electoral observation due in April and other relevant institutions linked to the OAS would give a preventive in order to preserve its institutions, weakened by political figures thirsty of power, at the expense of the rule of law,” said the letter.

Quoting the Constitution's article 189, the letter explicitly referred to the “unconstitutional candidacy” of Cartes and Nicanor Duarte Fritos, who GANAR claims cannot run for another Senate seat because they are still considered as current senators.

Cartes and Duarte both run for the Colorado Party, one of Paraguay's two oldest parties along with the National Party, or "Blanco."

The alliance also complained about the exclusion of Frente Guasu, the progressive party led by former President Fernando Lugo, from the civic boards —members of political parties supervising the election process.

Electoral authorities appointed three members from the Colorado Party and two from the National Party, but none for the Frente Guasu, which yet ranks as the third political force in the country.

Last year, the Frente Guasu defended the candidacy for senator of Fernando Lugo, Paraguay's first progressive president who was ousted before the end of his mandate in 2012, arguing that he could not be considered as a senator in charge since the political trial, and therefore he could claim a seat in the Senate in the coming elections.

GANAR Alliance chose Efrain Alegre, from the Liberal Party, to be their presidential candidate alongside journalist Leonardo Rubin, from the Frente Guasu, for the vice-presidency.

Alegre did not participate in the meeting with Almagro.

In 2008, Lugo won the presidential elections with Federico Franco, from the Liberal Party, who eventually turned against Lugo during the political trial carried out by the conservative opposition in Congress, and automatically replaced Lugo as the country's president.