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June 23rd, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda
The ousted president said he accepted the result. “I submit to the
decision of Congress,” Mr Lugo said, speaking just after he was
impeached, but he added that “the history of Paraguay and its democracy
have been deeply wounded.”
About 5,000 protesters had gathered outside Congress to support the left-wing
Lugo, shouting slogans in support of the president, who was holed up just
200 meters (yards) away at his offices in the presidential palace.
“We do not want the return of dictatorship,” said one protester,
Mariadelia, who had made the long trip to the capital from the Brazilian
border to support Lugo.
Hundreds of riot police formed security cordons around the building to keep
them away from smaller groups of anti-Lugo protesters.
“We always insist that all demonstrations be peaceful,” Mr Lugo
said.
Underscoring the gravity of the crisis, foreign ministers from the regional
grouping UNASUR were quickly dispatched to Paraguay from a UN environment
summit in Rio de Janeiro.
“What the ministers are trying to do is to create an environment that
allows a less traumatic solution for democracy, since President Lugo has a
mandate that expires in eight or nine months and cannot be re-elected,”
said Dilma Rousseff, president of regional powerhouse Brazil.
Lawmakers announced the surprise move against the 61-year-old Lugo after
clashes last week left at least six police and 11 squatters dead on a huge
estate poor farmers claim was acquired by political influence decades ago.
Mr Lugo sacked his interior minister and Paraguay’s police chief to try to
defuse the crisis, which highlighted the president’s failure to redistribute
land to the poor in a country where only a gilded few have all the wealth.
But the president was isolated after the right-wing Colorado Party, whose
six-decade grip on power he ended in 2008, joined forces in the impeachment
bid with the Authentic Radical Liberal Party, part of his ruling coalition.
Mr Lugo appealed the impeachment proceedings before the Supreme Court, saying
they were unconstitutional and that under the law he had the right to delay
the process for 18 days to give him time to prepare his defense.
But the process began shortly after 1630 GMT with Lugo’s five lawyers –
appearing in the Senate on his behalf – having just two hours to present
their defense.
Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela have denounced the proceedings as a “cover-up”
for a coup d’etat, with Venezuelan Vice-President Elias Jaua condemning it
as an imperialist attack on a “popular government.”
The United States said it was concerned and watching developments in Asuncion
very closely.
“Obviously we want to see any resolution of this matter be consistent
with democracy and the Paraguayan constitution,” US State Department
spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters in Washington.
Mr Lugo scotched resignation rumors on Thursday and portrayed the charges as a
ploy to oust him by his political opponents.
“I refuse to renounce my functions and vow to abide by the political
process with all its consequences,” he said.
Mr Lugo, who was recently treated for lymphatic cancer, had already said he
would not seek another term in April 2013 elections.
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