Protesters stormed and set fire to Paraguay’s Congress building on Friday after the Senate secretly voted for a constitutional amendment that would allow President Horacio Cartes to run for re-election.
Protests erupted outside the Congress after a group 25 lawmakers voted for the measure to secretly re-elect President Cartes, two more than the 23 required for passage in the 45-member upper chamber, Reuters reported.
Protesters then stormed the building and set it on fire, photos posted on social media showed the building set ablaze.
Police in riot gear responded by lobbing tear gas and firing rubber bullets into the crowd.
A senator of the opposition party called for resistance stating that a “coup has been carried out” urging people to resist with them.
“A coup has been carried out. We will resist, and we invite the people to resist with us,” Senator Desiree Masi from the opposition Progressive Democratic Party said.
fire in ground floor of congress, no sign of firefighters. #Paraguay pic.twitter.com/vkyjg5ASwB
— Laurence Blair (@LABlair1492) March 31, 2017
#Urgente Imágenes de la toma del Congreso de #Paraguay en contra de la reelección presidencial vía @pablopetovel pic.twitter.com/dKcSBWbcaF
— La Razón Digital (@LaRazon_Bolivia) April 1, 2017
At least 30 protesters, police officers, and civilians were injured, but the number is unknown, the fire service said.
Local media reported that several politicians and journalists were among the people injured in the clashes outside. Those wounded included Senate Speaker Roberto Acevedon, the former Minister of the Interior, Rafael Filizzola, of the opposition Popular Democratic Party, and the presidential candidate from Authentic Radical Liberal Party, Efraín Alegre the agency said citing Senator Luis Wagner.
The national police were not under any instruction to repress. They were attacked,” Interior Minister Tadeo Rojas said.
Paraguay’s constitution, adopted in 1992, only allows for the country’s presidents to serve a single term in office to prevent the country from returning to a dictatorship. Where Alfredo Stroessner ruled for more than 30 years after leading an army coup in 1954.
The approved amendment would allow Paraguay’s current president, Horacio Cartes to run for re-election in 2018.
But Before the amendment is law, it must be approved by the Chamber of Deputies, like how we have the House of Representatives.
Those in opposition to the re-election amendment have promised to resist the bill calling the change to the country’s constitution a “coup d’etat” and the start of a new“dictatorship.”
Video showed thousands of demonstrators outside the congressional offices.
RT OsvaldoteleSUR: Protesta violenta continúa alrededor del Congreso de #Paraguay pic.twitter.com/0Vc7eIxbBF
— Olegario Martínez (@Olegario_M) April 1, 2017
(THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY)
The post Paraugay On Fire As Protesters Fight Presidential Coup Set Congress Ablaze appeared first on We Are Change.
from We Are Change https://wearechange.org/paraugay-fire-protesters-fight-presidential-coup-set-congress-ablaze/
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