Fernando Lugo was officially installed as president of Paraguay, in a ceremony which marked the end of a long domination, of 61 years, of the Colorado party (conservative) in the country.
Aged 57, the new President took the oath before Congress, thus becoming the 48th President since the foundation of the Republic of Paraguay in 1844.
Fernando Lugo was officially installed as president of
Aged 57, the new President took the oath before Congress, thus becoming the 48th President since the foundation of the
Before taking up office, It was in Guaraní, the mother tongue of
Growing in hope
The inauguration of the new president of the For some time previously much discussion had taken place in an atmosphere of great expectation. However there was also a feeling of fear that all our great hopes would be once again dashed. Many people, including ourselves, had this feeling. We all desperately desired a new era for our country – a better, more serious country; one that we deserved. We would have liked Monsignor Lugo to continue as bishop. He is always on the side of the poor; he is a man of prayer and his decision to ask for secularisation and enter politics as a candidate for President came from a conviction that he would serve the people better in this way. We respect his option and we give him all our support. On the 20th April, he headed a movement called ‘The Patriotic Alliance for Change’ and he won all the elections with a large majority, ousting the Colorado Party, which had been in power for 61 years. This party believed itself to be invincible despite the fact that it was totally corrupt, skilled in using the poverty and ignorance of the people to its own advantage. It was a totalitarian regime and those in positions of power flaunted their wealth in ostentatious and wasteful ways, and were in no way concerned about the illness, misery and even death of the people. So on April 20th, the people rose up and won. The people believed in themselves; they grew in self-esteem, in courage, in dignity. This is a huge victory. But we must not be complacent. We must remember that We, the people, wish for change; we want a better country, a better life for everyone. We too need to make pacts. We need to be in solidarity with one another in seeking the common good. We need to hold onto this first sign of hope. We need to continue to support Lugo as on the first day of his election, praying that he will have the strength, courage and wisdom to manage all the tensions that may come when members of his government may be tempted by ambition or money as was the case in the former government, where all sorts of tricks and traps were used to oppose change and maintain the status quo. And because we are aware of all the difficulties that he may have, we may be tempted to lose hope and fear that he will be surrounded by enemies, disguised as friends and companions. We will continue to be alert and remain firm in hope; we will continue to give him our support when needed and we will grow in self-esteem, which is the fruit of living in a new democratic country. We overcame the invincible eternal Colorado Party. We will continue to struggle for a better country, a country where we can live in truth and prosperity and where there will be peace and justice for all. This is in fact the Community Fernando de la Mora