With President Horacio Cartes, the Partido Colorado returns to power in Paraguay.
| Autor | Gaudin, Andres |
For some, Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes' inauguration on Aug. 15 opened a new chapter in the country. For others, the ceremony marked the return to the worst form of politics, exemplified by the Partido Colorado (PC, Asociacion Nacional Republicana, ANR), Cartes' party and the party that for 35 years gave civil support to dictator Gen. Alfredo Stroessner (1954-1989). Cartes' signing, within a week of being sworn in, a law that authorized using the military against social protests, as well as the events on inauguration day and the initial statements by his ministers, seem to support those who looked with pessimism on the return of "Coloradismo."
The day the party returned to power, Cartes symbolically traveled the 300 meters separating the Congress building--where he took the oath of office --from the government palace--where he installed his Cabinet--in a 1969 Chevrolet Caprice, used frequently by Stroessner to transport close visitors. Stroessner used it to ferry, from the airport to his residence, Gens. Augusto Pinochet (1973-1979) of Chile, Humberto Castelo Branco (1964-1967) and Arturo da Costa e Silva (1967-1969) of Brazil, Jorge Rafael Videla (1976-1981) of Argentina, and Gregorio Alvarez of Uruguay (1981-1985), the dictators who took the first steps to form Operacion Condor, the Southern Cone's coordinated repression of dissidents (NotiSur, Feb. 16, 1993, and March 4, 2011). The same white convertible was also used to transport US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. "I will use it proudly," said Cartes, listening to the motor hum.
Cartes won the April elections without proposing a government program and still has not done so (NotiSur, March 29, 2013, and May 10, 2013). He did formulate some general guidelines: He will not impose any tax on agricultural exports--in the last four years, the sector, to which Cartes is closely tied, has had the best economic performance, earning US $9.4 billion, more than triple the foreign debt of US $2.6 billion and more than its total earnings in the previous four years; he will implement a program of privatizations; and he will be tough in confronting social protests.
Cartes has vast business interests, no public-service record
The new president does not cultivate relationships based on ideas and has never favored political compromise. He has always moved in the world of business and sports. His life has not been geared toward public service, and he did not even vote until he was 57 years old...
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