Duarte Frutos Wins in Paraguay

Colorado Party veteran Nicanor Duarte Frutos easily defeated two challengers in Paraguay’s presidential election Sunday, prolonging the party’s half-century grip on power despite the worst economic crisis in decades.

With 92% of ballots counted, Paraguay’s Electoral Court said Duarte Frutos had just over 37% of the vote. Second place went to opposition leader Julio Cesar Franco with nearly 24%. Pedro Falud, a wealthy banker, placed third with 23%.

“I’m not going to let you down,” Duarte Frutos said in a late-night victory speech that he used to appeal for unity. “The war we have to win in Paraguay is not a political battle among Paraguayans, but a war against poverty and corruption,” he said.

He rejected demands for the privatization of state-owned companies. “We are not going to auction the assets of the country,” he said.

More than 1 of 3 Paraguayans lives in poverty. The government puts unemployment at 18%, but experts say it’s closer to 35%. The government, virtually broke, has scrambled to pay civil servant salaries. Only Bolivia is poorer in South America.

Duarte Frutos will succeed Luis Gonzalez Macchi for a five-year term beginning Aug. 15. Gonzalez Macchi has been dogged by criticism over the economy and has hinted he might leave office early.