Weekly Report - 21 July 2011 (WR-11-29)

President Fernando Lugo will not be able to seek re-election in 2013 – even if he wants to. The senate last week rejected a petition presented to congress on 26 June by Lugo’s Frente Guasú party calling for a referendum on a constitutional reform to introduce presidential re-election. The petition contained 100,000 signatures (more than three times the amount required under the constitution). Lugo has reiterated on several occasions that he had no desire to run for a second term in office, but the opposition was deeply suspicious of his intentions.