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Will Paraguay's Next President be a Bishop?

08:32 H | Topics: Paraguay - Politics

Would you vote for a Catholic Bishop to be your nation's next president? The citizenry of Paraguay may very well have that option. Enter the "Bishop of the Poor", Fernando Lugo. He resigned as bishop last year, but the Vatican has refused to accept his resignation, saying being a bishop is a lifelong thing and they are not too happy with Lugo deciding to run for his nation's top seat. Clergy are forbidden from seeking political office and Lugo could actually be excommunicated if he continues his campaign. Many people in Paraguay aren't happy either, seeing Lugo as attempting to break 60 years of unbroken rule by President Nicanor Duarte's Colorado Party.

The next election in Paraguay is in April and early polls have Lugo with support from nearly 40 percent of voters, 10 percentage points ahead of his closest rival. And while Lugo is attempting to dethrone the elite he is quick to distance himself from other elite fighting leaders like Hugo Chavez.

"Chavez is a military man and I have a religious background," Lugo told reporters. "My candidacy has arisen at the request of the people, it was born in a different way than Hugo Chavez's."

Dozens of peasant, farm, labor, Indian and leftist groups back Lugo, but he resists ideological labels, saying for example that he embraces "socially responsible" capitalism. You sure won't hear Chavez saying something like that.

Lugo has traveled around the world promoting his run, visiting the U.S., Argentina, Spain, and Cube (with much controversy, of course).

Via / CNN

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