Fernando Lugo-- Paraguay's Obama?

Lugo, a former Paraguayan archbishop, is the first serious contender for the presidency of Paraguay who is not from one of the two established parties. The Colorados have ruled the country for the greater part of the 20th century (including the Stroessner dictatorship) up until the present day. They are running a female candidate, Blanca Ovelar, who was part of the current (and discredited) president's administration. Lino Oviedo, also part of the traditional establishment, is running as part of a motley association of movements and parties-- he's the guy who was jailed after a failed coup attempt a few years back. Yeah, he's part of the military who sought to overthrow a civilian government.

Though he's often spoken of as part of the "pink tide" sweeping Latin America, Lugo has managed to excite the hopes of a broad range of voters: workers, peasants, the indigenous, the poor, the middle class, the religious, students. And he currently leads Ovelar by 10 points. He's the one candidate who's said that he'll demand a renegotiation of the Itaipu treaty--a move that makes him unpopular to Brazilian interests. Itaipu, the hydroelectric plant shared 50/50 by Brazil and Paraguay, is based on agreements signed during military dictatorships wherein Paraguay agreed to sell excess energy only to Brazil at below market prices. Which means that Brazil gets a fabulous deal from the world's largest energy producing dam and Paraguay remains poor and suffers blackouts.

Elections are April 20th and will be observed by at least 300 Uruguayan volunteers. And Lugo's "party" is the Alianza Patriótica para el Cambio (APC-- or the Patriotic Alliance for Change).