Duarte Frutos, also admits government is absolutely incapable and inept.

The problem is some Partido Colorado sectors view González Macchi’s administration as incapable simply because democratically-elected Vice President Julio César ‘Yoyito’ Franco is from the Partido Liberal Radical Auténtico (PLRA) and they wouldn’t like him to take the presidency.

Tomorrow’s demonstration will repudiate government on the part of the PLRA but we will not achieve out goal quickly as today support from the US president has been announced asserting the convenience for González Macchi’s stay in power until 2003. Right now any political effervescence is quite relaxed because the Paraguayan Church is calling for concerted talks between the political class and social groups.

‘The march shows rejection to government on the part of the PLRA but I do not think it will
serve to achieve our purpose’

Argañistas (former Vice President Luis Maria Argaña followers) spoke of the possibility to subvert the constitutional order with this march. What do you think?

The demonstration is a constitutional right we have to show our dissatisfaction with government. The goal is to make the President resign and there’s no such subversion as it is the same process that derived in the removal of President Raúl Cubas in March ’99. Now, I am not denying the demonstration is launched by the opposition’s leading political force. And there are countless demonstrations, roadblocks after the Argentine picketers’ style due to González Macchi’s poor performance in government. The only difference is some sectors not only ask for the President’s resignation but also for the Vice President’s removal as well.

The PLRA calls for González Macchi to resign and expects the assumption of the next in the line of succession, popularly legitimized for having been democratically-elected in August 13, 200 as Vice President of the Republic. So the Paraguayan process would not end up in institutional collapse and Franco would naturally succeed the president.

To what extent would problems be solved if the goals set by the PLRA were fulfilled?

It will be very hard for the Vice President –in case he assumed the presidency- to make a deep reform from now until 2003, as he would only have one year in power. But it not impossible and this I what we, liberals, believe. That in view of the current lack of governance, a new government with active involvement from all sectors in ministries, could take one or two measures that would create better conditions for the coming elections.

Do you think the PLRA will beat the Colorado party tradition in his party?

This is our goal and we will persevere in 2003, and if we fail then we’ll do it in 2008 and in every election because the truth is that there are extreme poverty rates like never before in Paraguay after 54 years of Colorado government. I guess the Partido Colorado’s clientelist model full of privileges is disappearing and sooner or later they will have to hold themselves accountable for this before the people. So perhaps voters will consciously act what Mexicans did after a 71-year PRI rule.

We hope that after so many years a change of government would be favorable as we believe it healthy for the democratic system to find some fresh air by alternating with other parties.

Nicanor Duarte seems to be playing an ambiguous role in the face of González Macchi’s weakness?

It is the role the Partido Colorado has been historically playing since 1947 until now and that before each succession and the elections, it attacks government to succeed itself.

In this particular scenario, how do Franco and González Macchi coexist in government?

As from March 1999 our coexistence model resembled the Chilean one. It must be noted that after Cubas resigned, the political leadership agreed that González Macchi assumed the presidency until 2003 and that the Vice President had to be liberal. The cabinet was composed by liberal politicians and Encuentro Nacional members, which would give government high sustainability. A Colorado president, a liberal vice president, a government made up by the three forces and a government plan agreed in July, political stability was totally ensured. But the Colorado party failed to fulfill the obligations undertaken with negotiators and demanded costly elections to define the vice presidency. ‘Yoyito’ Franco won with the vote of some Colorado sector opposing González Macchi. Now, they do not want to acknowledge the possibility of a constitutional succession.

‘The PLRA calls for González Macchi to resign and Julio César ‘Yoyito’ Franco to take power.
The latter is in the line of succession and has popular legitimacy’

What do you expect from the dialogue called by the Church?

It is not likely that a political force declines to respond to a dialogue called by the Church. The PLRA president and of course government –who will find this proposal convenient to calm down waters- have accepted. Now, I am no futurologist but I daresay all dialogues fostered by the Church in the last 10 years ended with many promises and no concrete results for the people.

Assuming Macchi resigns and Franco takes power, what would be the government plan to solve the country’s problems in the short-term?

The Partido Liberal, Partido Colorado, Partido Encuentro Nacional and Partido Febrerista agreed upon a government plan in July 1999, which establishes a State reform. If some measures were taken to drop the huge fiscal deficit and rationalize the State, I guess something could be made before reaching the 2003 elections.

How do Paraguayans perceive this political crisis?

I guess they are concerned and distressed, full of hopelessness and disbelief in their politicians. Unfortunately, the disbelief and rejection to the political class common in most Latin America, worsens in Paraguay because of people’s poverty in the rural and urban areas alike. There are no jobs, we have some 900,000 unemployed, and under these conditions the responsibility rests on the political class and so voices calling for the return of authoritarian rules emerge, whether Stroessner or Oviedo, or a messianic man like Fujimori or Chávez. This is the danger of Paraguay right now in view of this emergency.

Has Oviedo emerged amid this situation?

As far as I am concerned, he hasn’t. But he is the typical messianic leader who in a situation like this may show up with ‘the solution’ to the crisis.

What stance have the Paraguayan military forces taken?

I think the current armed forces are not prepared to take power. I assume the respond to President González Macchi.

To what extent is the liberal party supported to carry out the president’s resignation request ?

Honestly, although this may be badly-regarded by some coreligionists, we have little support from the civil society outside our own party. In political terms, we only have the support of País Solidario, a new party, and the oviedista support due to the oviedistas’ interests in their fight against González Macchi, argañismo and wasmosysmo. We don’t have support from other political sectors, the Church, Merocsur or European Union governments, neither the international economic organizations while it is clear the US government supports the President. Well, I guess the Partido Liberal is alone to stage this fight as the country’s second force and the alternative in view of the Colorado party failure.

Tomorrow we expect to gather some 10 thousand people but I want to make clear that most of the Paraguayan people share the thought that González Macchi should leave. What we fail to decide in relation to the civil society is the idea for the President to leave and Franco take the presidency until 2003.

Why do think support is so low on the part of parties, governments and international organizations?

The time to go until the end of the presidential period is short, less than a year and a half, and next year will be a campaign year. So the American thesis as well as that from the political forces of other countries shows it is convenient to wait until 2003 to restore power. They consider it is preferable right now to endure this situation before trying something new that would not offer great results in a year. The lesser evil should be preferred.

Interview by Norma Domínguez