The Priest of Paraguay
Lugo and the Change in Latin America

Under the 60-year dictatorship of General Alfredo Stroessner's Colorado party, wealth and power became concentrated in the hands of a small few; until elections in 2008 broke the party's hold on the country. This book tells the story of how Fernando Lugo, a bishop from a deprived diocese, swept to victory and what this means for his country.

Paraguay had the oldest one-party regime on earth. Under the 60-year dictatorship of General Alfredo Stroessner's Colorado party, wealth and power became concentrated in the hands of a small few; until elections in 2008 broke the party's hold on the country and promised a newer, more egalitarian future, particularly for the country's indigenous people. In "The Priest of Paraguay", Hugh O'Shaughnessy tells the story of how Fernando Lugo, a bishop from a deprived diocese, swept to victory and what this will mean for his country, Latin America and the wider world. He traces Lugo's life alongside the turbulent history of Paraguay - from his early years in a family which fell victim to Stroessner to his release by the Vatican in order to follow a political calling. The book also examines what may lie in store for the newest addition to Latin America's 'pink tide' of socialist and social democratic countries. This is history of a fascinating but largely unknown country by one of the most respected commentators on Latin America.

1. Lugo:
A Life
2. Paraguayans and Guaranis
3. Spaniards and Jesuits 4. Independence from Spain 5. Two Bloody Wars 6. The Colorado Era 7. Wealth for Some 8. The Aftermath of One-Party Rule 9. Lugo and the New Latin America