Democratic Forum The 1996 Institutional Crisis in Paraguay September 1996 Washington, D.C. Secretary General César Gaviria Assistant Secretary General Christopher R. Thomas Executive Coordinator, Unit for the Promotion of Democracy Elizabeth M. Spehar This publication is part of a series of publications of the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS). Opinions and statements expressed are not necessarily those of the OAS or its member states, and are entirely the responsibility of the parties expressing them. Democratic Forum The institutional crisis of April 22 to 24, 1996, in Paraguay, from the perspective of the Government, civil society, and the international community Unit for the Promotion of Democracy This report is an edited version of the original transcripts, produced under the technical supervision of Mr. Diego Paz, Senior Specialist of the UPD, and Coordinator of this Forum. Professor Riordan Roett contributed with the summary and comments included in this issue. Design and composition of this publication was done by the Information and Dialogue Section headed by Mr. John Murray of the UPD. Mrs. Betty Robinson and Mrs. Judith Horvath- Rouco helped with the final editing of this report, and JNA Design was responsible for the graphic design. Copyright @ 1997. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material is authorized; please credit it as Aa publication of the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States@. Table of contents Preface........................................................................................................................................... vii Opening remarks..............................................................................................................................1 Presentations of the panelists...........................................................................................................5 Question-and-answer period..........................................................................................................23 Summary and comments................................................................................................................31 Closing remarks .............................................................................................................................33 Appendix........................................................................................................................................35 Preface The Unit for the Promotion of Democracy (UPD) was established in 1991 to support the democratization efforts in the Hemisphere, in compliance with Resolution AG/RES.1063/90 of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), and Executive Orders Nos. 90-3 and 90-3 rev.1 of the Secretary General of the Organization. The Unit=s mandate is to provide technical assistance and advisory services to the member states of the OAS, at the request of those states, for the strengthening of their political institutions and democratic procedures. One of the principal tasks of the Unit is to stimulate and support the exchange of knowledge and experience on democratic development among countries of the Hemisphere. An important mechanism for this exchange is the Democratic Forum. Organized in the form of seminars, round tables, conferences or lectures, the Democratic Forum brings together the diplomatic community, multilateral and non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, media representatives and others, to share ideas and experiences and to debate key issues of democracy and the development of democratic governance. It thus reaches out to various sectors of opinion and provides an important space for intellectual discourse. Democratic fora brings together representatives of a broad cross section of the community in the Washington, D.C. area, but they may also be convened elsewhere in the Hemisphere with the collaboration of local counterpart organizations and in response to the interests of member states. The agenda for this session of the Democratic Forum on the topic AThe Institutional Crisis in Paraguay - April 1996", was a review of the events that gave rise to the crisis and its resolution from the perspectives of the government and civil society in Paraguay and the international community. Opening remarks were delivered by Ambassador Carlos Víctor Montanaro, Permanent Representative of Paraguay to the OAS and Chairman of the Permanent Council of the Organization. The subsequent proceedings were chaired by Elizabeth Spehar, Executive Coordinator of the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy. The other principal participants at this session of the Democratic Forum were Senator Carlos Podestá of the Colorado Party and the Representative of the Government of Paraguay; Domingo Laíno, President of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA); Ambassador Lawrence Chewning Fábrega, Permanent Representative of Panama to the OAS and Chairman of the Permanent Council of the Organization at the time of the crisis in Paraguay; Ambassador Antonio Mercader, Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the OAS; Professor Riordan Roett, Director of the Latin American Studies Program, School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University; and César Gaviria, Secretary General of the OAS. Ambassador Christopher R. Thomas, Assistant Secretary General of the OAS, also attended. (Brief biographies of the speakers are in the appendix hereto). vi 2 Opening remarks Opening remarks Ambassador Carlos Víctor Montanaro Permanent Representative of Paraguay to the OAS and Chairman of the Permanent Council at the time of the Democratic Forum We are very grateful for your presence and your interest in Paraguay, especially with respect to the events of last April, which were of great importance to the Hemisphere as well as to Paraguay. You are proof that our hemisphere's governments and democratic institutions are gaining in strength and vigor and can survive challenges that until recently would have overwhelmed them. On February 3, 1989, there began in Paraguay a process of development toward democracy without precedent in our history. It is in fact regarded as our country's second national independence. We shook off long years of authoritarian rule and entered a new era of government based on respect for human rights, a representative government. Seven years after that historic date, it is dawning on us that this process of transition, which began almost unexpectedly, has not given us a chance to sit back and analyze everything that has happened. It is as if there had been no time for that. The changes we are undergoing are so swift and constant that it is sometimes difficult to keep up with all of them. That is why the Government of the Republic of Paraguay attributes the utmost importance to this meeting of the Democratic Forum, organized by the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy of the OAS. It is useful for us to be able to share our experience of democratization with the other countries of the Hemisphere. We realize that Paraguay's growth toward democracy requires, now more than ever, painstaking and exhaustive analysis. One of the most important tests of the fledgling democracy will be analyzed today from the standpoint of the principal actors. Who is more qualified to tell us about the events of last April 22 than those invited to this forum? Although several aspects of our democracy fall short of perfection, we take pride in the progress made over this short period of time. Today we can point to a new, redesigned, reliable system for ensuring fair elections; a democratically elected congress; total freedom of expression; and a will and a commitment on the part of the national government to press on with the strengthening of democracy. It is supremely appropriate to be discussing this subject, which concerns not only Paraguay but all the countries of the Hemisphere, here at the headquarters of the Organization of American States. We are fully cognizant of the significant response of the inter-American system, as a whole, to the events of April 22 and 23. Our Secretary General, Mr. César Gaviria, will speak to us about this matter in greater detail, along with Ambassador Lawrence Chewning Fábrega of Panama, who was Chairman the Permanent Council at that time. Opening remarks 3 We also have Ambassador Antonio Mercader of Uruguay, who will talk about the role of the MERCOSUR countries on that occasion. This Forum will enable us to reflect on and analyze the events of last April 22 and 23, and I believe we shall inevitably arrive at the conclusion that Paraguayan democracy has come into its own, thanks to the maturity of its institutions and of Paraguayan society itself. I particularly want to thank the distinguished members of this panel: Secretary General Gaviria; Ambassador Chewning Fábrega; Ambassador Mercader; Carlos Podestá, a Senator of the governing party and former Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Paraguay; Domingo Laíno, Chairman of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party, the main opposition party of Paraguay, and a recognized statesman and politician in the Hemisphere; and Professor Riordan Roett, Director of the Latin American Studies Program of the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University. It is a real honor for the Paraguayan Mission to have such distinguished speakers. Again, thank you all for being here. We also owe a special word of thanks to Ambassador Christopher Thomas, Assistant Secretary General of the OAS, who