After half a year, I returned to Paraguay to visit various places of 
volunteers and met a changing country. As one hoped in March, Fernando Lugo won the elections in april and for the first time since 61 years broke with the rule of the Colorado party, which was responsible not only for dictaturships like the one of Stroessmer (54-89) but also has established a wide system of corruption throughout the whole private and public business and administration.
Now, the former catholic bishop is confrontated with big hopes and expections: Increase the wealth of the paraguayan people (BNP abot 9.000 US$/year), decrease the poverty rate which lays close to 40%, help that all children get acess to education (one third stops to visit schoo, after one year) etc. etc. This all might not work without touching the privileges of Paraguay´s oligarcy. 1% of the population owns 75% of the country, among them many of German and Brasilian decent, earning good money with soja, mais and other agricultural products destinied for export.
volunteers and met a changing country. As one hoped in March, Fernando Lugo won the elections in april and for the first time since 61 years broke with the rule of the Colorado party, which was responsible not only for dictaturships like the one of Stroessmer (54-89) but also has established a wide system of corruption throughout the whole private and public business and administration.Now, the former catholic bishop is confrontated with big hopes and expections: Increase the wealth of the paraguayan people (BNP abot 9.000 US$/year), decrease the poverty rate which lays close to 40%, help that all children get acess to education (one third stops to visit schoo, after one year) etc. etc. This all might not work without touching the privileges of Paraguay´s oligarcy. 1% of the population owns 75% of the country, among them many of German and Brasilian decent, earning good money with soja, mais and other agricultural products destinied for export.
It is a question wether Lugo is able to find solutions in and with this harshly segregrated society. 
The conflicts yet started to become violently. In one of the provinces a leftist group of the landless (sintierras) started to use weapons to occupy land of the big landowners and even more, issued an ultimatum to the "Braziguayos" (how they call the Brazilian owners) to leave the province till the end of the month. If not, they are willing to expell them violently. Of course, the answer of the landlords is not calm either, already a few of the activists died after the use of firearms of the owners. Another thread comes from the neighbouring Brazil (although president Lula da Silva is known to be maybe the most powerful men of the leftist movement in Latinamerica´s governments) . In a step which hardly supports the government of Lugo, the Brazilian army started to do trainings in the region of Iguazu. Not only to support the Brazilian citizens in Paraguay, all commentators see it as a strong message against the renegotiation of the power plant contract of Iguazu. These gigantic water plants are constructed by Argentina, Brazil and Paraguya and although the biggest part of them are located on the Paragauyan side, only the smallest percentage of the income goes to Paraguay.
The conflicts yet started to become violently. In one of the provinces a leftist group of the landless (sintierras) started to use weapons to occupy land of the big landowners and even more, issued an ultimatum to the "Braziguayos" (how they call the Brazilian owners) to leave the province till the end of the month. If not, they are willing to expell them violently. Of course, the answer of the landlords is not calm either, already a few of the activists died after the use of firearms of the owners. Another thread comes from the neighbouring Brazil (although president Lula da Silva is known to be maybe the most powerful men of the leftist movement in Latinamerica´s governments) . In a step which hardly supports the government of Lugo, the Brazilian army started to do trainings in the region of Iguazu. Not only to support the Brazilian citizens in Paraguay, all commentators see it as a strong message against the renegotiation of the power plant contract of Iguazu. These gigantic water plants are constructed by Argentina, Brazil and Paraguya and although the biggest part of them are located on the Paragauyan side, only the smallest percentage of the income goes to Paraguay.Despite all the open questions, Lugos presidency is a step forward in a country which has deeply sunk in corruption and undemocratic practises. After his 2 months of presidency, Lugo obviously searched the way for peaceful dialogue, now it is up to the society to share this path.
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