*Coup in Paraguay!*
*Paul Dobson, Venezuela, 23 June 2012*
Today the Foreign Minister of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, deplored the
'express' coup d'état which took place against the democratically
elected left wing President Lugo today in Paraguay. Maduro, who is part
of a UNASUR emergency delegation to Paraguay, said that the actions
taken by the Paraguayan Senate and Parliament, controlled by the right
wing opposition, violated "elemental democratic rights" and that the
verdict passed in the impeachment trial was passed "without any proof".
The UNASUR delegation will now call upon the 12 member Heads of State to
meet urgently, where we expect, as has now become normal, the continent
to speak with one voice in rejecting this antidemocratic act.
Meanwhile, more than 50,000 of Lugo's supporters rallied in the streets
of La Asunción to defend their President against this preplanned attack
from the imperialist forces to remove him, and reverse the gains and
progress he has achieved in the name of the people.. However their
protests were met by force from the police, who used tear gas, water
guns, and rubber bullets to overwhelm the people, and Telesur have
reported that the first injured protesters are being taken to hospitals.
Both the Parliament and the Senate voted in favour of impeaching Lugo on
Thursday, and gave him just 24 to prepare for his trial. They claim he
misused his functions in supporting the land expropriations by the
peasants which ended in violence last week. Paraguay is currently
undergoing land reform, as 80% of the land is owned by just 5% of the
population. The Senate stated that proof of his guilt was not needed as
it "was of public notoriety". Lugo, a Roman Catholic bishop, was elected
in April 2008 and has run a left wing coalition government since, ending
decades of right wing rule in Paraguay. He declared last night that he
felt "the serenity of those who have a clean conscience and who have
completed their mission in their country".
This coup d'état comes as a blow to an increasingly strong democratic
consciousness in South America. The last few years have seen US
sponsored coups in Honduras (successful), Ecuador (defeated), Nicaragua
(failed) and now Paraguay. Meanwhile plans for coup attempts are
frequently unearthed in Venezuela, considered the backbone of the left
wing swing in the continent. The overthrowing of Lugo, well before his
term is finished, and without any consultation with the people of
Paraguay, is worrying, as it must be seen in a continental context, and
part of the same policy which sees the 4th US fleet practicing war games
off the coast of Venezuela, and the increasingly active US bases in
Colombia.
*By e-mail from James Tweedie *
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