Thursday, November 01, 2007

Paraguay

In a classically corrupt Colorado Party move, the Paraguayan Supreme Court released Lino Oviedo (who was on parole) on a technicality, just coincidentally a few hours before the deadline to apply for a presidential run.

Under Paraguayan law, all candidates must be registered to vote and those serving prison sentences cannot register. The court decision came out shortly before Tuesday's midnight registration deadline, and Oviedo rushed to get on the voter rolls.

''It's such a visible and vulgar manipulation of justice on the part of President Nicanor Duarte Frutos,'' said Paraguayan political columnist Alfredo Boccia Paz. ``You'd have to be pathologically naive not to see the Colorado hand behind this.''

As Boz notes, this is an effort to split the opposition vote to keep the Colorado Party in power. I would only partially agree with him that Oviedo is a threat to “Paraguayan democracy,” as there is no such thing. We might say his political presence is a threat to the possibility of moving in a democratic direction.

In a recent academic article, Paul Sondrol analyzes Paraguay in the context of being a semi-authoritarian regime, and puts it as follows:

The evolving socio-political equation includes widespread disenchantment with a weak economy, a political class newfangled in the give and take inherent in a liberalized environment, and enduring traits reflecting the deepest authoritarian tradition in Latin America, mirrored in a narrow, cynical view of democracy by well-established political elites (p. 51).

An axiom attributed to Stroessner himself sums up the nefarious, semi-authoritarian philosophy: “It is necessary to foment criminality, for criminality produces complicity and complicity produces loyalty (p. 58).

That pretty much sums it up.

Paul Sondrol, “Paraguay: A Semi-Authoritarian Regime?” Armed Forces & Society, Vol. 34, No. 1 (2007): 46-66.

4 comments:

Justin Delacour 4:55 PM  

a political class newfangled in the give and take inherent in a liberalized environment, and enduring traits reflecting the deepest authoritarian tradition in Latin America, mirrored in a narrow, cynical view of democracy by well-established political elites

Unfortunately, the major players in U.S. politics (including the Clintons) also have a "cynical view of democracy by well-established political elites."

I mean, can you imagine if Hillary and Giuliani were to win their parties' nominations? What exactly would there be for these two mouthpieces of corporate power to "debate"? Would they debate about which one of them gets more money from the health insurance lobby? Or would it be about whether Bill or Rudolph looks better in drag?

I think the quality of political debate and public deliberation has reached an all-time low in U.S. politics. I thought it couldn't get any worse after the past two races, but I was wrong.

At least the Paraguayans can say there will be an actual debate in their presidential race.

Greg Weeks 5:22 PM  

Unfortunately, before Oviedo was let loose there was more chance of actual change as opposed to just actual debate.

Justin Delacour 9:54 PM  

Unfortunately, before Oviedo was let loose there was more chance of actual change as opposed to just actual debate.

Oh, no doubt, I'm certainly not arguing in favor of the Colorado Party's shenanigans with Oviedo.

I'm just struck by the irony of the fact that the U.S. political system is, in many ways, as closed if not more closed than those of other countries that most Americans would consider "backwards" (like Paraguay).

I just saw a report recently that the United States came in 42nd (!) in life expectancy in the world. One would think that, if we had anything even remotely approaching serious political debate and vigorous public deliberation in this country, the fact that we have sub-first world social indicators would be a topic of heated discussion in our political process.

But what, instead, seems to be the main topic of discussion among the Democratic candidates (not to mention the Banana Republicans)? Iran, of course. Forget the fact that, on average, our people croak earlier than Bosnians and Jordanians.

You have to admit that it is somewhat ironic. Here we are, pontificating from U.S. universities about the reduced prospects for political change in Paraguay when the prospects for serious political debate and meaningful political change in our own country is virtually nil.

So, indeed, I'm sure you're right that, before Oviedo was let loose, there was more chance of actual change as opposed to just actual debate in Paraguay, but what I find most ironic is that there doesn't seem to be much chance of either right here in the United States of America.

Anonymous,  8:54 PM  

Paraguay hopeful eyes energy export prices

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/316b94fa-0a86-11dd-b5b1-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1

about Fernando Lugo and other candidates in Sunday election in Paraguay.

--John

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