I. Introduction

On June 26, 2012, a special meeting of the Permanent Council was held to analyze the situation in the Republic of Paraguay following the political crisis triggered by the impeachment conducted by the National Congress, which led to the dismissal of the President, Mr. Fernando Lugo, prior to the conclusion of the mandate for which he was democratically elected and 10 months shy of the next general elections.

The Chair of the Permanent Council, Ambassador Leónidas Rosa Bautista, proposed that the Secretary General conduct a fact-finding visit to the Republic of Paraguay to gather information in situ and submit a report to the Permanent Council that would enable it to adopt appropriate measures.

The Secretary welcomed the proposal by the Chair of the Council and announced that, pursuant to the powers conferred on him by the OAS Charter, he would head a mission to garner all the background information needed to submit to the Council a report that took into consideration the opinion of the authorities of all branches of government in Paraguay as well as those of a wide spectrum of the country's political and social actors.

The Secretary General invited permanent representatives of the various geographical groups to join him. The Mission comprised the Secretary General; Ambassador Allan Culham, Permanent Representative of Canada; Ambassador Carmen Lomellin, Permanent Representative of the United States; Ambassador Duly Brutus, Permanent Representative of Haiti, and Ambassador Leónidas Rosa Bautista, Permanent Representative of Honduras; and Ambassador Joel Hernández, Permanent Representative of Mexico.

This Report contains a summary of the schedule of activities (Chapter II); an account of the process culminating in the dismissal of President Fernando Lugo (Chapter III); and a set of facts that the members of the Mission observed (Chapter IV).

Chapter V of the Report contains the Secretary General's conclusions, for which he alone is responsible. The ambassadors accompanying the Secretary General reserve the right to present their own conclusions to the Council, at the appropriate time and after consulting with their governments.

The Mission would particularly like to thank the authorities and political and social actors in Paraguay for their openness and their readiness to share with the Mission's members their points of view on the crisis that occurred, the situation at present, and the outlook going forward.

II. Activities

The Mission flew to Asunción on July 1 and stayed there until late at night on July 3. During their stay, the Secretary General and the delegation had a work schedule that included meetings with all the branches of government and with a wide range of political and social actors.

Upon arrival in Asunción and at all their meetings during their stay, the Secretary General and the members of the Mission made it clear that they intended to listen to the country's authorities and to representatives of all sectors of Paraguayan society and to familiarize themselves with the broadest spectrum of points of view regarding the crisis that had arisen, with a view to contributing to the normalization and strengthening of democracy in the country.

The Mission was able to pursue its working agenda with complete independence and all the guarantees needed for it to do its job. The Mission reiterated its gratitude to the authorities and citizens of Paraguay for making that possible and appreciated the willingness of the country's political and social actors to share their points of view with the Mission regarding the crisis that arose, the current situation, and the outlook for the future.

During its stay in Asunción, held almost non-stop meetings on July 2 and 3. They began with a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, followed by a meeting with the President of the Republic, Mr. Federico Franco, which was also attended by the Vice President, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of Defense and the Permanent Representative of Paraguay to the OAS. That was followed by a meeting with the President, Mr. Fernando Lugo, who was accompanied by his Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Secretary General of his Cabinet, the lawyers in charge of his defense during the impeachment, and other supporters.

Later on, the Mission met with authorities of the National Congress, the Supreme Court of Justice, the Higher Electoral Justice Tribunal, and with leaders of the principal political parties in Paraguay, including the Partido Liberal Radical Auténtico (PLRA), the Asociación Nacional Republicana –Partido Colorado (ANR-PC), the Unión Nacional de Ciudadanos Éticos (UNACE), the Partido Patria Querida (PPQ), the Partido País Solidario and Frente Guasú. The Mission also had meetings with officers of the Paraguayan Episcopal Conference, with business and indigenous leaders and farmers, and with journalists and the owners of the media. (The final agenda of the visit is attached to this Report)

III. Impeachment under Article 225 of the National Constitution of Paraguay

The charges leveled against the President, Fernando Lugo Méndez, which, according to Article 225 of the Constitution of Paraguay, initiate the impeachment process, were voted on by the Chamber of Deputies at its session on June 21 at approximately 10 a.m. Seventy-six (76) of the 80 deputies making up the Chamber voted to try the President for "malfeasance in office." There was one vote against and three members were absent.

The complete text of the charges was distributed to the Permanent Council at the Special Meeting held on June 22. The principal arguments adduced in the charges as facts that led to the accusation were: 1. Political act in the engineering unit of the Armed Forces; 2. The Ñacunday case [related to the approach to illegal occupation of land in that area]; 3. Increasing insecurity; 4. The Ushuaia II Protocol [the signing of that instrument by the Government]; and 5. The Curuguaty Massacre.

Informed of the charges brought by the Chamber of Deputies at the end of a meeting in the Office of the Papal Nuncio that same morning, President Lugo expressed consternation and "surprise at the speed with which political developments had unleashed the impeachment process in the Congress of the Republic." Nevertheless, he reiterated that he would submit to that constitutional mechanism which was "moving notoriously fast in Congress." Regarding that, he said:
"FACED WITH THIS CHALLENGE, this PRESIDENT IS NOT GOING TO RESIGN and SUBMITS, in full obedience to the CONSTITUTION AND THE LAW to undergoing the IMPEACHMENT with all its consequences.
I URGE THE NATIONAL PARLIAMENT to make every effort to avoid proceedings that may be judged by history and by the citizens of Paraguay and to comply with constitutional procedures and time frames that OFFER ME, as PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC every guarantee of a FAIR AND LEGITIMATE DEFENSE."
(Capital letters taken from the original)
On the same day, June 21, 2012, the Senate received the charges and adopted two resolutions, No. 878 "establishing the procedure for processing the impeachment contemplated in Article 225 of the National Constitution" and No. 879, which established the time frames and "convened the Senate, constituted as a court, on June 21 and 22, 2012 to process the impeachment of the President, Fernando Lugo Méndez.” President Lugo was summoned to present his defense and show evidence on Friday, June 22, at 12 noon.

President Lugo was notified of both resolutions (No. 878 and No. 879) on June 21. His defense attorneys filed an action challenging the constitutionality of Resolution No. 878, which refers to the proceeding, but not against Resolution No. 879, which refers to the periods and times in which the "trial" of President Lugo would be conducted. The Constitutional Chamber issued its ruling on June 25 rejecting the action brought "in limine litis," stating that since the impeachment had concluded the challenged resolution (No. 878) was no longer legally capable of producing an effect. The Constitutional Chamber did not pronounce on Resolution No. 879, which established the time frames, as no remedy whatever was invoked to challenge it.

On June 22, after deliberations and arguments by the parties, the Senate issued its pronouncement convicting the accused of the charges against him and proceeded to dismiss him for "malfeasance in office." Thirty-nine (39) of the 45 senators making up the Senate voted in favor of dismissal; 4 voted against and 2 were absent.

After hearing the verdict of the Senate, President Fernando Lugo addressed the public in a nationwide broadcast and said:

"It is not Fernando Lugo who is smitten today, it is not Fernando Lugo who is dismissed, it is Paraguayan history that has been deeply wounded. Today all rules governing the right to defense were deliberately flaunted and I hope that the perpetrators realize how serious that is..."

"Even though those rules were bent, I submit to the decision of the Congress and I am willing as a former President to answer for my acts."

"Tonight I take my leave through the most wide-open door of our fatherland, in the hearts of my fellow countrymen."

"I never bowed to the political classes, the mafia, or drug lords." "This citizen served and will continue to serve his fellow countrymen (...) Today, I bid farewell as President but not as a citizen of Paraguay."

(To the citizens of Paraguay): "Let them not deny you the right to voice your opinion. I ask that any demonstration be peaceful. That the blood of innocents never be shed again..."

That same day, at 6:00 p.m. on June 22, the President of the National Congress, Senator Jorge Oviedo Matto, convened a session of Congress and swore in Mr. Federico Franco – then Vice President – to assume the office of President of the Republic of Paraguay and to complete the constitutional term ending in August 2013.

IV. Key facts

In the many interviews it conducted, the Mission sought to hear first hand the points of view of the authorities and social leaders it interviewed, to learn what had happened during and immediately prior to the crisis that led to the impeachment, the removal of the President of the Republic, and the assumption of a new President, as well as to hear their diverse opinions as to the immediate outlook for Paraguay.

The meetings were conducted in private without minutes kept in order to guarantee confidentiality, freedom, and candor in the expression of opinions. For that reason, this report does not constitute minutes of the meetings nor does it transcribe what was discussed at each of them. It only captures the key points, the relevant facts surrounding the situation.

The Mission received documentation on the matter at hand from the authorities of the branches of government, President Lugo's attorneys, and political and social leaders. All that documentation will be available for consultation by any permanent and observer missions requesting it from the General Secretariat.

The key facts ascertained in the Mission's meetings during its stay in Paraguay are as follows:

1. The immediate background to this process is what happened in Curuguaty, a place located in the North-East, close to the border with Brazil, where 17 people (11 tenant farmers and 6 policemen) died on Friday, June 15. The incident was described as an ambush and attributed to the Paraguayan People's Army (Ejército del Pueblo Paraguayo). The large number of people killed shocked the country and the Government's response, involving the dismissal of the Minister of the Interior and the Head of Police, was described as too little, too late by the major political parties, which also questioned the credentials of those appointed to replace them. This dissatisfaction and the public unrest it triggered in just a few days is considered to be the key to the political crisis that led to the dismissal of President Fernando Lugo on June 22, just a week after the events in Curuguaty.

2. However important the "massacre of Curuguaty" may have been, it seems obvious that associated with it were a series of prior political developments that had raised the level of tension in the country and distanced the Government from the parties represented in Congress, including the Partido Liberal Radical Auténtico, one of the country's two principal political forces and one that had supported the President's election four years earlier.

3. Congress approved dismissal of President Lugo by an overwhelming majority of 76 out of 80 votes in favor of impeachment in the Chamber of Deputies and 39 out of 45 in favor of dismissal in the Senate.

4. Strictly speaking, the impeachment followed constitutional procedure. However, opinions vary regarding whether the time given the accused allowed him to exercise his legitimate right of defense.

5. This week, President Lugo's defense team filed a new challenge with the Supreme Court against the unconstitutional nature of the Senate's ruling and then announced its intention of resorting to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and Inter-American Court of Human Rights should its appeal be rejected.

6. President Lugo's defense attorneys stress that in a trial lasting approximately 17 hours, they were only given 4 business hours to prepare his defense and 2 hours to submit evidence going beyond the charges queried in the original accusations.

7. The parliamentarians bringing the charges argue that there are no pre-established time frames for a proceeding of this nature, that the President was notified 17 hours prior to the time set for his defense, and that if impeachment had been delayed, there was a risk of acts of violence, such as those that had occurred during the impeachment of President Raúl Cubas, which lasted three days and during which there had been incidents leading to a number of deaths.

8. The domestic political scenario had been affected by a series of special circumstances and was fraught with antagonism and tension regarding the country's future. Both sides refer, before and after the dismissal, to possible outbreaks of violence.

9. In the streets, the security situation would appear to be normal, as it appears to have been during the crisis. So far there are no signs of violence or of actions taken against spokespersons in the Government of President Lugo, his followers, or members of the media. The Government, Congress, and the Paraguayan economy all appear to be functioning normally, despite the political events of the last few weeks.

10. Paraguay's Armed Forces did not play, and did not attempt to play, any part in this crisis. They took an institutional approach throughout the process, repeatedly confirming that it was their intention to abide by their duties under the Constitution. After the crisis, according to information given to the Mission by the authorities in Congress, the Committee on National Defense, Security, and Internal Order of the Chamber of Deputies received testimony from high-ranking military circles regarding an alleged meeting with some delegates from UNASUR countries, a development that was made public last week.

11. Representatives of UNASUR countries were present in the country from the night of Thursday, June 21 and all through June 22, until after the process was completed.

12. All the actors who had meetings with the OAS Mission thanked it for coming to the country to gather information in situ and to listen to the opinions of all actors regarding recent events in Paraguay, so that it would be able to produce an objective, unprejudiced report.


V. Conclusions

It is natural that the situation that occurred in Paraguay prompted very negative reactions in many governments and political circles in the Hemisphere, because nobody had expected President Fernando Lugo's term in office to be ended prematurely. The fact that a President is unable to conclude his or her mandate normally is a negative development in itself and one that is naturally rejected by other governments given that it affects the image of stability of democracy in the Hemisphere.

However, contrary to some analysts' assertions, it is not exactly a novel occurrence in our Hemisphere. On the contrary, in the 1990s and first half of the 2000s, early ends to presidential terms occurred at the rate of one a year, due to either dismissal or forced resignation; in two countries of the region, this happened more than once.

It is understandable, then, that a situation that had not happened since 2005 (the overthrow of President Zelaya in Honduras in 2009 was a coup d’état) should trigger a certain amount of alarm. Times have changed. Demands for democracy are now more marked and the sudden ouster of a President produces almost automatic rejection.

By the same token, if the idea is to effectively prevent further negative consequences for democracy in Paraguay, it is necessary to carefully examine at least four facets of the crisis.

First, Paraguay has undergone a profound political and institutional crisis, a severe clash between the Executive and Legislative Branches of Government that prompted an overwhelming reaction against the President. The President and Congress were elected by the same electorate and in the same electoral process, a fact that renders this rupture even more dramatic. It is also difficult to grasp why this conflict occurred with barely ten months to go before an election that will renew the authorities in both branches of government and in which President Lugo could not stand for reelection. No doubt there were exacerbating factors, such as the events in Curuguaty. Nevertheless, the dismissal is the consequence of a profound political divide in Paraguayan society, which makes it all the more worrisome.

Second, the situation is also complex from a legal point of view. Impeachment is an established prerogative of Congress and it was exercised in accordance with Article 225 of the Constitution: the Chamber of Deputies accused the President of malfeasance in office, by a majority of well over two-thirds. Then the Senate approved a procedure, conducted the proceedings, and finally voted, also by a more than two-thirds majority, to dismiss the President. Once the office had been vacated, the Vice President, elected along with President Lugo, took over the office of president, as the Constitution requires.

However, the speed with which the impeachment was conducted was highly unfortunate and created an aura of illegitimacy surrounding the process, whatever the text of the Constitution might say. The Paraguayan Senate granted very little time for the President to prepare his defense and dispensed with the guarantees that President Lugo requested, which contravened the rules set forth in Paraguay's own Constitution and in international human rights instruments that uphold the universal principles of due process and the legitimate right of any accused to defend himself and to have sufficient time to do so between the beginning and end of his trial.

This week, President Lugo's attorneys filed suit with the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the Senate's ruling and they announced that they would take their case to the pertinent bodies of the inter-American human rights system. Their objective, according to the attorneys, is to have the Senate ruling annulled as inexcusably flawed because it was pronounced without affording the accused President an opportunity for legitimate defense.

Third, despite his harsh words, President Lugo accepted the outcome of the impeachment when he concluded: "Even though those rules were bent, I submit to the decision of the Congress and I am willing as a former President to answer for my acts..." This citizen served and will continue to serve his fellow countrymen (...) Today, I bid farewell as President but not as a citizen of Paraguay." Later on, the President retracted that acceptance and called for his restitution as President. Although that might result from some court ruling, at the time the acceptance triggered an effect, which was the installation as President of the Vice President Federico Franco, in accordance with the Constitution.

Fourth, the acting authorities and most of the political and social actors in Paraguay expressed a firm desire to comply with the electoral calendar established by the Higher Court of Electoral Justice in January 2012, which establishes April 21, 2013 as the date for electing both a President and Congress. This means that within 10 months Paraguay will have elected authorities endowed with complete democratic legitimacy, provided that the electoral process is conducted normally, in an atmosphere of freedom, without restrictions, and with guarantees for all political and social sectors.

Finally, it is necessary to recall that most of the actors acknowledged the need to advance political reforms to improve the procedures established for impeachments, as well as other measures to strengthen the democratic system.

In short, any decisions the OAS takes should make it possible to fulfill at least three objectives:

1. Complete the judicial process, which is currently in sub judice status before the Supreme Court of Paraguay and then, very probably, before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The Commission and the Court are the official voice of the OAS on human rights matters and it is up to those principal organs to make a pronouncement in these circumstances.
2. Strengthen governance in Paraguay in the transition to the 2013 elections by promoting public dialogue and supporting the legal reforms that may help avoid further crises.
3. Ensure that the electoral process is participatory and transparent, and that there are no reprisals or exclusions because of what happened, especially reprisals against President Lugo or his supporters.

To comply with the first objective, it is necessary to await the decisions of the Supreme Court of Paraguay, which are expected in the next few days and then the decisions of President Lugo and his attorneys regarding the intention they announced of resorting to the Inter-American Commission and Court of Human Rights. Should the involvement of these organs be required, we trust that they will be able to pronounce on this matter as expeditiously as possible.

In order to fulfill the second and third objectives, the General Secretariat believes that it would highly advisable immediately to deploy a mission to observe the process leading up to the April 2013 elections, facilitate political dialogue, and report periodically thereon to the Permanent Council. The purpose of that Mission, which we hope the Paraguayan authorities will embrace, would be to monitor from now on – as part of the process of strengthening governance – observance of the guarantees needed to ensure that all can compete on an equal footing, that there are no reprisals against President Lugo and his followers, and that -- through political dialogue -- some adjustments are encouraged to the rules governing the conduct of possible future impeachments, with more precise and more predictable rules of the game at its various stages.

Some regional organizations, whose participating states are all also member states of this Organization, have already adopted measures against the government of Paraguay. Consequently, some of those countries have also proposed suspending Paraguay's participation, applying to that end Articles 20ff of the Inter-American Democratic Charter.

While fully respecting those decisions and without entering into a discussion of the basis for them, I consider that the adoption by the OAS of a similar measure would not contribute to the achievement of our objectives. In contrast, implementing those objectives by stepping up the active presence of OAS organs would help to avoid exacerbating the divisions within Paraguayan society and the country’s political system and avoid causing unnecessary suffering among the people of Paraguay. Let us not forget, moreover, that there is currently a situation of political, social, and economic stability that is worth preserving. Suspension from participation in the OAS would have serious economic implications for the country given the direct impact of such a decision on other institutions of the inter-American system and its indirect impact on other aspects of the international system and the country’s economic and financial well-being.

Some countries have proposed convening a meeting to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs to consider the situation in Paraguay. I believe that a discussion at that level could allow constructive solutions to be sought, so long as it is kept in mind that the common aim joining all the member states is to strengthen democracy in Paraguay and, ultimately, throughout the region. Bearing that objective in mind, rather than encourage sanctions, we should unite in an approach that focuses the Organization’s support toward dialogue with a medium- and long-range vision that involves Paraguay’s political actors in resolving the present state of affairs.

In this Organization, we possess effective instruments to help achieve these goals. The OAS Charter itself establishes a mandate to promote and consolidate representative democracy. Resolution 1080 of 1991 offers us a wide range of possible measures that we can begin agreeing upon now and gradually supplement in the future; and the Inter-American Democratic Charter contains an array of objectives and principles on which we all agree. However, all that presupposes the existence of an OAS that is ready to play an active part in the future of Paraguayan democracy and has the necessary room in which to act.


WORKING AGENDA

OAS SECRETARY GENERAL AND DELEGATION
MR. JOSÉ MIGUEL INSULZA
JULY 1 TO 3, 2012
ASUNCIÓN – PARAGUAY

SUNDAY, JULY 1 –

11:00 p.m. SG arrives in Asunción on COPA flight No. 207 - Silvio Pettirossi Airport
*Airport reception by the OAS Representative and Protocol

MONDAY, JULY 2 –

7:00 a.m. Breakfast

8:00 a.m. Transfer to Foreign Ministry

8:15 a.m. Meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Félix Fernández Estigarribia
Venue: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Calle Palma esquina 14 de Mayo

8:45 a.m. Transfer to the Office of the President of the Republic

9:00 a.m. Meeting with the President of the Republic, Mr. Federico Franco.
He is accompanied by Foreign Minister José Félix Fernández Estigarribia; Vice President of the Republic Oscar Denis; Minister of Defense María Liz García de Arnold; Interior Minister Carmelo Caballero; and Finance Minister Manuel Adolfo Ferreira.
Venue: Palace of Government
Calle El Paraguayo Independiente

9:45 a.m. Transfer to Hotel La Misión

10:30 a.m. Meeting with President Fernando Lugo. As decided by President Lugo, the following persons participated: Adolfo Ferreiro, Defense Lawyer; Emilio Camacho, his Legal Advisor and Defense Lawyer; José Enrique García, his State Attorney General and Defense Lawyer; his Secretary of the Civil Cabinet, Miguel Ángel López Perito; and his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jorge Lara Castro
Venue: Hotel La Misión/Private Room-First Floor

2:00 p.m. Transfer to National Congress

2:15 p.m. Meeting with the President of the Senate, Jorge Oviedo Matto. He is accompanied by the leaders of party caucuses: For the ANR, Senators Rogelio Benítez, Juan Darío Monges, Hugo Estigarribia, Orlando Fiorotto; and Senator Julio César Velázquez; Leader of the PLRA Caucus Senator Miguel Ángel González Erico; Leader of the PPQ Caucus Miguel Carrizosa, and Deputy Leader Marcelo Duarte; and the Leader of the UNACE Party Caucus José Manuel Bóveda
Venue: Legislative Palace
Calle 14 de Mayo y El Paraguayo Independiente

2:45 p.m. Meeting with the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Víctor Bogado, and Deputies.
Venue: Legislative Palace
Calle 14 de Mayo y El Paraguayo Independiente

4:30 p.m. Transfer to Hotel La Misión

5:15 p.m. Meeting with Vice President of the Superior Court of Electoral Justice (TSJE) Juan Manuel Morales (TSJE President Alberto Ramírez Zambonini is in Mexico).
Participating in the meeting were: Judge Juan Manuel Morales, Vice President of the TSJE; Atty. Liliana Benítez, Director General for Administration and Finance; Mr. Luis Alberto Mauro, Advisor to the TSJE; Atty. Gabriela Sanabria, Director of International Relations and Protocol; Ms. Dolly Olmedo, Head of the Department of Press and Publicity
Venue: Hotel La Misión/Private Room-First Floor

5:40 p.m. Meeting with the General Secretary of the Guasu Front, Ricardo Canese, accompanied by the President of the party for a Country of Solidarity, Carlos Galarza; former TV Pública Director, Marcelo Martinessi; former senator and former PLRA candidate for President of the Republic Domingo Laino and 4 other persons
Venue: Hotel La Misión/Private Room-First Floor

6:00 p.m. Meeting with the President of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA), Senator Blas Llano, accompanied by Deputy Blanca Lila Mignarro and Senator Ramón Gómez Verlangieri
Venue: Hotel La Misión/Private Room-First Floor

6:30 p.m. Meeting with the President of the Republican National Association (ANR – Colorado Party), Senator Lilian Samaniego, accompanied by Senator Silvio Ovelar and Political Secretary of the ANR, Darío Filártiga
Venue: Hotel La Misión/Private Room-First Floor

7:00 p.m. Meeting with the President of the National Union of Ethical Citizens (UNACE) Party, Lino Oviedo
Venue: Hotel La Misión/Private Room-First Floor

8:00 p.m. Meeting with representatives of the Beloved Homeland Party (PPQ), Senator Miguel Carrizosa, Senator Marcelo Duarte, and Deputy Sebastián Acha
Venue: Hotel La Misión/Private Room-First Floor

8:30 p.m. Meeting with Opinion Makers: Carlos Báez (Radio Monumental AM 1080); Enrique Vargas Peña (Radio 970 AM); Carlos Peralta (Unicanal); Oscar Acosta (Telefuturo); Estela Ruiz Díaz (Diario Ultima Hora); Mabel Rehnfeldt (Diario ABC); and Germán Martínez Vierci (A.J. Vierci Group)
Venue: Hotel La Misión/Private Room-First Floor

TUESDAY, JULY 3 –

7:00 a.m. Breakfast

8:00 a.m. Transfer to venue of meeting with Chairman of the CEP

8:30 a.m. Meeting with the Chairman of the Paraguayan Episcopal Conference (CEP), Monsignor Claudio Giménez; Vice Chairman Monsignor Edmundo Valenzuela; Treasurer Monsignor Ignacio Gogorza; General Secretary and Delegate to the CELAM, Monsignor Adalberto Martínez Flores
Venue: CEP Headquarters
Calle Alberdi 782 entre Haedo y Humaitá

9:00 a.m. Transfer to Hotel La Misión

9:15 a.m. Meeting with representatives of farmers unions, represented by the National Farmers Federation (FNC) General Secretary Odilón Espínola; Juan Fleitas, for the Misiones Small Farmers Association; Luciano Martínez and Samuel Frutos, of the Itapúa Tung and Cotton Producers Association; Francisca Jara, of the Open Heart Producers Association of Colonia Barbero-San Pedro; Edilberto Ortiz, for the Santiago-Misiones Agricultural Coordinating Group; Luís Ferreira, for the Cordillera People’s Movement; and Leonardo Montanía, of the Oñondivepa de Cruce Liberación-San Pedro Agricultural Association
Venue: Hotel La Misión/Private Room-First Floor

9:45 a.m. Meeting with industry associations, represented by Paraguayan Industrial Union (UIP) President Eduardo Felippo; President of the Rural Association of Paraguay, Germán Ruiz Aveiro; and Production, Industry, and Trade Federation President Max Haber.
Venue: Hotel La Misión/Private Room-First Floor

10:30 a.m. Meeting with the Union of Industry Associations (UGP) President Ramón Sánchez and Vice President Héctor Cristaldo; and President of the Bar Association Oscar Paciello
Venue: Hotel La Misión/Private Room-First Floor

10:45 a.m. Meeting with Senator Carlos Filizzola (Party for a Country of Solidarity representative and former Minister of the Interior, under President Lugo)
Venue: Hotel La Misión/Private Room-First Floor

11:15 a.m. Transfer to Supreme Court of Justice

11:30 a.m. Meeting with the President of the Supreme Court of Justice, Dr. Víctor Núñez, and Justices of the Court: Justice, First Vice President Dr. Alicia Beatriz Pucheta de Correa; Justice, Second Vice President Dr. Raúl Torres Kirmser; Dr. Luis M. Benítez Riera – Justice, Member of the Criminal Division; Dr. Antonio Fretes – Justice, Member of the Constitutional Division; Dr. César Garay Zuccolillo – Justice, Member of the Civil Division; Dr. Miguel Oscar Bajac - Justice, Member of the Constitutional Division; Dr. Sindulfo Blanco – Justice, Member of the Criminal Division; and Dr. Gladys Ester Bareiro de Módica –Justice, Member of the Constitutional Division
Venue: Palace of Justice
Calle Alonso y Testanova

12:30 p.m. Meeting with Indigenous Leaders represented by the INDI - with President Oscar Ayala and 3 leaders - Gerardo La Rosa, for the Sanapaná ethnic group; Carlos Marecos and Alba Duarte for the Enxet ethnic group (contact President's Lugo former Foreign Minister, Héctor Lacognata, who will not be present)
Venue: Hotel La Misión/Private Room-First Floor

1:00 p.m. Meeting with Rafael Filizzola, former Minister of the Interior under President Fernando Lugo
Venue: Hotel La Misión/ Private Room-First Floor

2:30 p.m. Courtesy call by Media Owners/Managers, Aldo Zucolillo (Diario ABC), Hugo Biedermann (Radio Chaco Boreal), Humberto Rubín (Radio Ñanduti); and Antonio J. Vierci (A.J. Vierci Group) and President Alberto Acosta Garbarino, of the Development in Democracy Institution
Venue: Hotel La Misión/ Private Room-First Floor

3:00 p.m. Meeting with the Minister of the Interior, Carmelo Caballero
Venue: Hotel La Misión/ Private Room-First Floor

4:00 p.m. Transfer to Silvio Pettirossi International Airport

6:00 p.m. Depart Paraguay on TAM Mercosur flight 712