

Currently released so far... 12478 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
AU
ASEC
AE
AF
AORC
AEMR
AMGT
ABUD
AFFAIRS
APER
AS
AMED
AY
AG
AR
AJ
AL
AID
AM
AODE
ABLD
AMG
AFIN
ATRN
AGAO
AFU
AN
AA
ALOW
APECO
ADM
ARF
ASEAN
APEC
AMBASSADOR
AO
ASUP
AZ
AADP
ACOA
ANET
AMCHAMS
ACABQ
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
APCS
AGMT
AINF
AIT
AORL
ACS
AFSI
AFSN
ACBAQ
AFGHANISTAN
ADANA
ADPM
AX
ADCO
AECL
AMEX
ACAO
ASCH
AORG
AGR
AROC
ASIG
AND
ARM
AQ
ATFN
AC
AUC
ASEX
AER
AVERY
AGRICULTURE
BL
BR
BO
BA
BD
BM
BK
BG
BU
BB
BH
BTIO
BY
BEXP
BP
BE
BRUSSELS
BF
BIDEN
BT
BX
BC
BILAT
BN
BBSR
BTIU
BWC
BMGT
CA
CASC
CVIS
CM
CH
CO
CU
CD
CWC
CI
CS
CY
CMGT
CF
CG
CR
CB
CV
CW
CE
CBW
CT
CPAS
COUNTERTERRORISM
CJAN
CODEL
CIDA
CDG
CDC
CIA
CTR
CNARC
CSW
CN
CONS
CLINTON
COE
CROS
CARICOM
CONDOLEEZZA
COUNTER
CL
COM
CICTE
CIS
CFED
COUNTRY
CJUS
CBSA
CEUDA
CLMT
CAC
COPUOS
CIC
CBE
CHR
CTM
CVR
CITEL
CLEARANCE
CACS
CAN
CITT
CARSON
CACM
CDB
CAPC
CKGR
CBC
EC
EG
EPET
ECON
ETRD
EFIN
EIND
EMIN
ENRG
EAID
EAGR
EUN
ETTC
EAIR
ENIV
ES
EU
EINV
ELAB
ECIN
EFIS
ELTN
EWWT
ECPS
ECONOMIC
ENGR
EN
EINT
EPA
ELN
ESA
EZ
ER
ET
EFTA
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EUMEM
ETRA
EXTERNAL
EI
EUR
EK
ERNG
ENGY
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ENERG
EINVEFIN
ENVR
ECA
ELECTIONS
ETC
EUREM
ENNP
EFINECONCS
EURN
ECINECONCS
EEPET
EXIM
ERD
ENVI
ETRC
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ETRO
EDU
ETRN
EAIG
ECONCS
ECONOMICS
EAP
ECONOMY
EINN
EIAR
EXBS
ECUN
EINDETRD
EREL
EUC
ESENV
ECONEFIN
ECIP
EFIM
EAIDS
ETRDECONWTOCS
EUNCH
EINVETC
IZ
IT
IR
IS
IN
IC
IAEA
IO
ICAO
IWC
ID
IV
ISRAEL
IAHRC
IQ
ICTR
IMF
IRS
IDP
IGAD
ICRC
ICTY
IMO
IL
INRA
INRO
ICJ
ITU
IBRD
INMARSAT
IIP
ITALY
IEFIN
IACI
ILO
INTELSAT
ILC
ITRA
IDA
INRB
IRC
INTERPOL
IA
IPR
IRAQI
ISRAELI
INTERNAL
ISLAMISTS
INDO
ITPHUM
ITPGOV
ITALIAN
IBET
INR
IEA
IZPREL
IRAJ
ITF
IF
KDEM
KU
KPAL
KNNP
KCRM
KZ
KN
KS
KJUS
KTFN
KSCA
KV
KISL
KPAO
KPKO
KIRF
KTIA
KIPR
KFLO
KFRD
KTIP
KAWC
KSUM
KCOM
KAID
KE
KTDB
KMDR
KOMC
KWBG
KDRG
KVPR
KTEX
KGIC
KWMN
KSCI
KCOR
KACT
KDDG
KHLS
KSAF
KFLU
KSEO
KMRS
KSPR
KOLY
KSEP
KVIR
KGHG
KIRC
KUNR
KIFR
KCIP
KMCA
KMPI
KBCT
KHSA
KICC
KIDE
KCRS
KMFO
KRVC
KRGY
KR
KAWK
KG
KFIN
KHIV
KBIO
KOCI
KBTR
KNEI
KPOA
KCFE
KPLS
KSTC
KHDP
KPRP
KCRCM
KLIG
KCFC
KTER
KREC
KTBT
KPRV
KSTH
KRIM
KRAD
KWAC
KWMM
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KOMS
KX
KMIG
KRCM
KVRP
KBTS
KPAONZ
KNUC
KNAR
KPWR
KNPP
KDEMAF
KNUP
KNNPMNUC
KERG
KGIT
KPAI
KTLA
KFSC
KCSY
KSAC
KTRD
KID
KOM
KMOC
KJUST
KGCC
KREL
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFTFN
KO
KNSD
KHUM
KSEC
KCMR
KCHG
KICA
KPIN
KESS
KDEV
KCGC
KWWMN
KPAK
KWNM
KWMNCS
KRFD
MOPS
MCAP
MPOS
MARR
MO
MNUC
MX
MASS
MG
MY
MU
ML
MR
MILITARY
MTCRE
MT
MEPP
MA
MDC
MP
MAR
MASSMNUC
MARAD
MAPP
MZ
MD
MI
MEETINGS
MK
MCC
MEPN
MRCRE
MAS
MIL
MASC
MC
MV
MTCR
MIK
MUCN
MEDIA
MERCOSUR
MW
MOPPS
MTS
MLS
MILI
MTRE
MEPI
MQADHAFI
MAPS
NO
NATO
NL
NP
NZ
NSF
NI
NH
NG
NAFTA
NU
NASA
NR
NATOPREL
NSSP
NSG
NA
NT
NW
NK
NPT
NPA
NATIONAL
NPG
NSFO
NS
NSC
NE
NGO
NDP
NIPP
NRR
NEW
NZUS
NC
NAR
NV
NORAD
OTRA
OPCW
OVIP
OAS
OREP
OPIC
OIIP
OPRC
ODIP
OEXC
OPDC
OSCE
OIC
OSCI
OECD
OFDP
OFDA
OMIG
OPAD
OFFICIALS
OVP
OIE
OHUM
OCS
OBSP
OTR
OSAC
ON
OCII
OES
PGOV
PREL
PHUM
PTER
PINS
PINR
PREF
PK
PROP
PA
PARM
PBTS
PMAR
PM
PGIV
PE
PRAM
PHUH
PHSA
PL
PNAT
PO
PLN
PAO
PSA
PHUMPGOV
PF
PEL
PBIO
POLITICS
PHUMBA
PAS
POL
PREO
PAHO
PMIL
POGOV
POV
PAK
PNR
PRL
PG
PREFA
PSI
PINL
PU
PARMS
PRGOV
PALESTINIAN
PAIGH
POLITICAL
PARTIES
POSTS
PROG
PORG
PTBS
PUNE
POLICY
PDOV
PCI
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PBT
PP
PS
PY
PTERE
PGOF
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PPA
PINT
PRELP
PSEPC
PGOVE
PINF
PNG
PGOC
PFOR
PCUL
POLINT
PGGV
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PGOVLO
PHUS
PDEM
PECON
PROV
PHUMPREL
RS
RU
RELATIONS
RW
RO
RM
RP
ROOD
RICE
RUPREL
RSO
RCMP
REACTION
REPORT
REGION
RIGHTS
RF
RFE
RSP
RIGHTSPOLMIL
ROBERT
SU
SCUL
SNAR
SOCI
SF
SA
SHUM
SENV
SP
SR
SY
SANC
SC
SMIG
SZ
SARS
SW
SEVN
SO
SEN
SL
SNARCS
SNARN
SI
SG
SN
SH
SYR
SAARC
SPCE
SHI
SCRS
SENVKGHG
SYRIA
SWE
STEINBERG
SIPRS
ST
SNARIZ
SSA
SK
SPCVIS
SOFA
SIPDIS
SAN
TC
TI
TBIO
TH
TSPL
TRGY
TSPA
TPHY
TU
TW
TS
TAGS
TK
TX
TNGD
TZ
TF
TL
TV
TN
TD
TIP
TR
TP
TO
TT
TFIN
THPY
TERRORISM
TINT
TRSY
TURKEY
TBID
US
UK
UNGA
UP
UZ
UNMIK
USTR
UNO
UNSC
UN
UNESCO
UNAUS
UNHRC
UY
UG
UNHCR
UNCND
USOAS
USEU
UNICEF
UNEP
UV
UNPUOS
UNCSD
USUN
UNCHR
UNDC
USNC
UE
UNDP
UNC
USPS
USAID
UNVIE
UAE
UNFICYP
UNODC
UNCHS
UNIDROIT
UNDESCO
UNCHC
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 08ASUNCION358, PRESIDENT-ELECT FERNANDO LUGO: A PROFILE
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #08ASUNCION358.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
08ASUNCION358 | 2008-06-02 15:32 | 2011-01-26 21:30 | SECRET//NOFORN | Embassy Asuncion |
VZCZCXRO9037
OO RUEHAO RUEHCD RUEHGA RUEHGD RUEHHA RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL
RUEHQU RUEHRD RUEHRG RUEHRS RUEHTM RUEHVC
DE RUEHAC #0358/01 1541532
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 021532Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY ASUNCION
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6953
INFO RUCNMER/MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHWH/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS PRIORITY
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA PRIORITY 0596
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN PRIORITY
RHEHNCS/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RHMFISS/USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 ASUNCION 000358
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
WHA/FO; WHA/BSC MDRUCKER, BFRIEDMAN, KBEAMER; NSC DFISK; DS/DSS/ITA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/19/2028
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL SNAR PA XM
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT-ELECT FERNANDO LUGO: A PROFILE
REF: A. 06 ASUNCION 1280
¶B. 06 ASUNCION 348
¶C. ASUNCION 263
Classified By: DCM Michael J. Fitzpatrick; reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). -------
SUMMARY -------
¶1. (S) President-elect Fernando Lugo will need to rely on his diverse background to govern Paraguay and hold together the varied interests in his political coalition. Lugo comes from a family of long-time Colorado dissidents, particularly vocal during the Stroessner years. After distinguished national military service, Lugo began his own career as a teacher in 1969 but soon found his calling in the Catholic Church. Ordained a bishop in 1994, Lugo was assigned to the Archdiocese of San Pedro for 11 years before stepping down. Lugo launched the organization Citizen Resistance in March 2006 and made his political start by speaking at a massive political rally the same month, leading many to believe that he would be the only presidential candidate who could defeat the Colorados in the April 2008 election. While Lugo's quiet, affable style should help him build consensus in the next government, other aspects of his personality, such as his avoidance of confrontation, could hinder his ability to govern. Sensitive reporting suggests that some members of Lugo's inner circle maintain ties to representatives of Venezuelan President Chavez and that Lugo himself has loose personal ties to members of Paraguay's Free Fatherland Party (PPL), the all-but-defunct leftist micro-party with an armed wing. Lugo leveraged his status with the Catholic Church and reputation for honesty to win the presidency; he will need more than just a little help from "upstairs" to govern as president. END SUMMARY.
---------------- POLITICAL ROOTS ----------------
¶2. (C) President-elect Fernando Armindo Lugo Mendez will need his diverse background to govern Paraguay and hold together the varied interests represented in his political coalition. Lugo's political organization is the Patriotic Alliance for Change (APC), comprised of 12 political parties and nine political movements, centered principally on the Radical Authentic Liberal Party (PLRA), Paraguay's largest and oldest opposition political party. Lugo is a registered member of Paraguay's (largely irrelevant) Christian Democratic Party. His vice president-elect, Luis Federico Franco Gomez, is a long-time PLRA member. Lugo has thrived in the social and religious arenas by reaching out to the poor and disenfranchised, largely with populist (though not necessarily incendiary) principles.
¶3. (C) Lugo comes from a family of long-time Colorado dissidents, particularly vocal during the Stroessner years. He was born on May 30, 1951, in San Pedro del Parana (Itapua Department) to Guillermo Lugo and Maximina Mendez Fleitas. His uncle, Epifanio Mendez Fleitas, was a renowned dissident Colorado leader and rival to dictator Alfredo Stroessner who fled in exile to Uruguay in 1956. Mendez Fleitas founded the Popular Colorado Movement (MOPOCO) in 1959, a dissident Colorado revolutionary group that advocated Stroessner's overthrow. Lugo told DCM his father Guillermo was detained twenty times during Stroessner's 35-year reign; his brothers were tortured and exiled. (His sister Mercedes puts their father's lifetime total arrests at 38.) Their brother Pompeyo remains a dissident Colorado (ref A), another brother lives in France; their final brother died of natural causes. Despite his family's strong political traditions, Fernando Lugo himself remained politically disengaged until he resigned from the priesthood in 2006 to pursue politics full time.
--------------------- CAREER IN THE CHURCH ---------------------
¶4. (U) As a young man, Fernando Lugo finished first in his class during his obligatory military service. Yet Lugo was denied a m
ilitary commission because of his family's opposition to Stroessner. Lugo then began his career as a teacher in 1969 but soon found his calling in the Catholic Church. He earned his undergraduate degree in religious science from the Catholic University of Asuncion in 1977, the same year the Catholic Church ordained him as a priest. Lugo served as a missionary in Ecuador from 1977 until 1982, where he learned the principles of Liberation Theology under Leonidas Proanho, the "Bishop of the Poor." He returned to Paraguay in 1982 and served one year as an apprentice in the Order of the Divine Word. He studied spirituality and sociology in Italy from 1983 to 1987, earning a bachelor's degree in sociology from Gregoriana University in Rome. (There are reports the Church sent him abroad repeatedly -- Italy, Germany, Ecuador, Peru -- to protect him from Stroessner's regime.) Lugo served from 1987 to 1992 as a professor at the Superior Institute of Theology in Asuncion, as head of the Order of the Divine Word, and as vice president of the Religious Confederation of Paraguay.
¶5. (C) The Church ordained Lugo as a bishop in 1994 and assigned him to the Archdiocese of San Pedro, one of the poorest areas in this poor country -- and one intentionally marginalized by the Colorados because of a strong Liberal Party presence, which occasionally manifested itself in the form of rural armed groups over the decades. During his 11-year tenure as bishop, Lugo fought for campesino rights and organized the region's peasant movement. He resigned as bishop in January 2005. Pope John Paul II accepted his resignation in January 2006 and he thus acquired the title of Bishop Emeritus of San Pedro. Lugo submitted his petition to resign from the clergy in December 2006 to run for president; the Vatican denied his request in January 2007. (NOTE: Press reports in 2005 indicated that the Paraguayan Episcopal Conference (CEP) announced that it had no objections to Lugo's activities as bishop and believed his actions were intended to address social injustices and poverty. However, other 2005 press reports indicated that the CEP forced Lugo to resign as bishop because of his association with inciting land invasions that resulted in violence as well as a rumor that Lugo fathered a child. The Church must still decide whether to accept Lugo's rsignation, provide a "temporary dispensation," or excommunicate him after he assumes the presidency on August 15. END NOTE.)
------------- LEFTIST TIES? -------------
¶6. (S/NF) Sensitive reporting indicates that some members of Lugo's inner circle have ties to representatives of Venezuelan President Chavez. These Lugo insiders claim that he supports Chavez' plans for Latin America; Lugo has stated publicly and privately (to Embassy officials) that he will not align himself with Chavez. Lugo volunteered to OAS chief of electoral mission (and former Colombia Foreign Minister) Maria Emma Mejia early April 21 that while Chavez was the first president to congratulate him April 20, he does not know Chavez and was delighted that the U.S. Ambassador was in fact the first caller to congratulate him and to offer support for his government. One party in Lugo's coalition, the P-MAS (Paraguayan Movement towards Socialism), receives Venezuelan financial support. When pressed publicly, Lugo has publicly identified himself as closest in ideology and management style to Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez.
¶7. (S/NF) Sensitive reporting also suggests Lugo himself has loose ties to members of the Free Fatherland Party (PPL) -- the tiny Paraguayan Marxist-Leninist party which developed an armed wing in the early part of the decade, and which has roots in San Pedro and Concepcion Departments. (NOTE: The PPL today is all but disbanded. END NOTE.) Several PPL leaders are reportedly ex-seminarians, although Lugo has publicly denied having been their instructor (which is not to say that they did not know each other in Paraguay's small circle of clergy).
During the just-concluded presidential campaign, it was publicly alleged that Lugo assisted PPL members in planning and executing the 2004 kidnapping of former president Raul Cubas Grau's daughter, Cecilia Cubas, and to have helped PPL members escape Paraguayan justice. Lugo has publicly denied the same. Lugo is not known to have links to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC); Lugo told Maria Emma Mejia April 21 that he is inclined to publicly declare (post-inauguration) the FARC "a terrorist organization." He stressed to Mejia he had no problem with the use of the word terrorist to describe them since "the FARC killed my friend." (NOTE: No Further Information available.) Lugo signed a petition in 2000 against USG funding for Plan Colombia. The petition, drafted by members of the PPL (which was then a legal party), was sent to the Foreign Affairs Ministry and foreign embassies. Lugo, along with President Chavez and many others, also signed a 2006 manifesto opposing the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) in Latin America.
¶8. (S) NOTE: Lugo privately told DCM April 17 (i.e., several days before his election), that he was convinced that corrupt elements of the police (if not certain Colorado politicians) had protected the PPL kidnappers, whom he said were responsible for the kidnapping and ultimate killing of Cecilia Cubas. He said a police officer came to him with information as to where Cubas was then being held. (Lugo was still Bishop of San Pedro at this time.) He said they jointly went to see the Interior Minister (Nelson Mora) the night of December 6-7, 2004, provided him the address -- and even told him that a police officer (and possible suspect) lived next door to the house where Cubas was being held. Lugo said the Minister assured them he was already aware, and that "all was being taken care of." The police officer accompanying Lugo, however, was suddenly reassigned the next day. Lugo recalled that the Minister publicly declared "We know where you are" and gave the PPL "24 hours" to surrender -- but no action was taken. (COMMENT: This statement is confirmed by contemporary press reports. END COMMENT.)
Cuba's body was only recovered in February 2006, from the same house Lugo says they had identified to the Interior Minister in December. Lugo told DCM he had recently had it confirmed to him that the PPL kidnappers had even used the car owned by their policeman neighbor. Lugo told DCM that though he did not have a complete understanding as to the extent of official (or semi-official) protection that had gone on, he was toying with the idea of a national inquiry into the case, should he become president, saying, "the people have a right to know." The Interior Minister and several dozen police officials were all sacked following the discovery of Cuba's body. END NOTE.
------------------------------- TRANSITION INTO FORMAL POLITICS -------------------------------
¶9. (C) Lugo launched the organization Citizen Resistance in March 2006 and burst onto the national political scene as a last-minute speaker at a massive political rally on March 29, 2006. Lugo spoke to about 35,000 people and against the decision by five members of the Supreme Court to affirm Duarte (contrary to the Constitution) as president of both the government and Colorado Party. Many began to suggest that he should run and could defeat the Colorados in the 2008 presidential election. Lugo organized other marches against the Colorados and supported launching the opposition political movement Tekojoja in June 2006. (He once pointedly corrected an embassy officer, however, who suggested he was the leader of Tekojoja.) He subsequently formally registered as a member of the (micro) Christian Democratic Party. Lugo won the support of the PLRA in June 2007 when he agreed to accept a member of the PLRA as his running mate. The political opposition formed the APC, Lugo's current alliance, in September 2007 from the remnants of the National Assembly (Concertacion Nacional), which splintered when the National Union of Ethical Citizens Party (UNACE) and Beloved Fatherland Party (PQ) fielded their own presidential tickets.
------------------------------- PERSONALITY AND OTHER BIO NOTES -------------------------------
¶10. (C) While Lugo's quiet, affable style should help him build consensus in the next government, other aspects of his personality, such as his avoidance of confrontation, could hinder his ability to govern. Lugo generally connects well with people (although he is reportedly uncomfortable with women) and has thus far been successful in attracting a diverse support base. He is said to be an expert in "human nature" and is a quick and accurate judge of character. Personally a quiet, unpretentious and serene individual, Lugo cares little for physical possessions. He typically wears sandals, because that is who he is. (He says he has owned two suits in his life; one for high school graduation and another for his ordination. He bought his third for the May 16 Ibero-American Summit in Lima, Peru.) However, his strong populist leanings -- including a reputation for detesting flaunting of wealth by the rich -- could lead to rifts with the political establishment. Likewise, even Lugo's closest advisors worry that he will walk away from conflict within his own alliance. His reportedly already-strained relationship with Vice President-elect Federico Franco indicates that he may not be able to work effectively with influential members of his own alliance (let alone with the Colorados). But he also has demonstrated an iron will, and is not easily moved from strongly held positions.
¶11. (SBU) Given his career as a member of the Catholic clergy, Lugo is unmarried (although he is rumored to have fathered several illegitimate children). Lugo told DCM April 17 that he admires Nelson Mandela, and particularly, how Mandela defied predictions of impending social strife to bring his country together and move it forward together
. (NOTE: Lugo was reading a Mandela biography at the time, which was on his coffee table during the meeting). Lugo speaks Spanish, Guarani, Portuguese, Italian, and at least some German. He has also studied English.
------- COMMENT -------
¶12. (C) Lugo leveraged his status with the Catholic Church and reputation for honesty to win the presidency, but he will need more than just a little help from "upstairs" to govern as president. It is unclear whether Lugo has the skills needed to run Paraguay (he reportedly caused an NGO he managed for one year to fail), but his historic win with over 40 percent of the vote gives him strong momentum that will help him govern in the short term (ref C). In terms of the direction Lugo will take, many questions remain. He is a leftist at heart, but given the Liberal Party's influence in his coalition and Congress' strong role in the Paraguayan government, he will likely have to steer a center-left course. Lugo's ties to Venezuela and others bear monitoring, but so far, his signals to the United States Embassy have been clear -- he is grateful for our offers of assistance and wants a close relationship. If you can't believe a priest, who can you believe? END COMMENT.
Please visit us at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/asuncion
Cason