Paraguay congress set on fire as election protests turn deadly

[jpak]

Source: BBC

One activist was killed by a blow to the head which the opposition blamed on a rubber bullet fired by police.

Under the 1992 constitution, introduced after the dictatorship, a head of state may only serve a single five-year term.

But sitting President Horacio Cartes is trying to remove the restriction and run for re-election.

Protesters were photographed smashing in windows of the congress building in the capital, Asuncion, on Friday night and setting fire to the interior.

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Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-39465064

[ck4829]

1. Cartes sounds like Trump, but with a slightly less amount of luck

In 1986, Cartes spent 60 days in jail during a currency fraud investigation. He was accused of making millions of dollars on a central bank loan obtained at a preferential exchange rate and then moving it through his money exchange business before buying farm equipment in the U.S. The case was eventually dropped.

Cartes was imprisoned on charges of currency fraud for seven months in 1989. He was eventually cleared by a court.

In 2000, the anti-drug police seized a plane carrying cocaine and marijuana on his ranch. He claimed that the plane had made an emergency landing, that he had no involvement with the drug trade and that he opposed the legalization of narcotics.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horacio_Cartes

[Judi Lynn]

2. Good grief! His party has been in power for 70 years, with only a 4 year break,

when the citizens elected a progressive bishop, Fernando Lugo, whom the Colorado Party arranged to overthrow by coup.

The same Colorado Party also backed their 35 year long dictatorship by Alfredo Stroessner, who committed genocide, sold surviving native Ache citizens into slavery, and gave haven to former Nazi war criminals, including the Angel of Death of Auschwitz, Dr. Josef Mengele. This party still thunders on in that country, rolling over everyone who doesn't support them.

From time to time, the citizens do try to answer, one way or another. Best wishes and blessings to all their efforts. In time, the people are going to win.