SUMMARY
After 25 years of dictatorial rule, General Alfredo Stroessner was ousted from office in a coup in February 1989. The coup was preceded by a long-standing rift within the ruling party. The violence was mainly restricted to five hours of battle between the army and the presidential guard. Coup-leader General Andrés Rodríguez proclaimed himself interim President and elections, generally considered relatively free and open, were held three months later.
IN DEPTH
Background to the conflict
Paraguay’s Constitution defines the country as a "representative democracy" with a directly elected executive president, but democratic governments have been few, short-lived and far between. After taking power in a coup in 1954, General Alfredo Stroessner was declared the winner of presidential elections on eight consecutive occasions, the last of which was in February 1988. This election was denounced by foreign observers due to widespread irregularities such as prevention of anonymous voting, stuffing of ballot boxes, intimidation by members of the ruling party Partido Colorado at the ballot station and a true voter turnout of less than 50 percent. The previous elections had also been characterised by irregularities.
The ousting of General Stroessner in the coup of 1989
After 34 years of uninterrupted dictatorial rule General Alfredo Stroessner was overthrown in a violent coup on 3 February 1989. The coup was lead by General Andrés Rodríguez, Second in Command of the armed forces, and a former ally of the President.
The two warring parties, the Military faction headed by General Rodríguez and the government of Paraguay headed by General Stroessner, both belonged to the same ruling party Partido Colorado. A long-standing rift in the ruling party between the pro-Stroessner “militants” and the “traditionalists” preceded the incompatibility concerning governmental power. The “traditionalists,” with whom Rodríguez was identified, favoured moderate democratic reforms, while the “militants” were in favour of continued one-man rule. Within “militant” circles Stroessner’s son was discussed as the probable successor to the president post. The "traditionalist" faction was largely ousted from their positions of power in a divisive national congress in August 1987. As part of the same effort, General Rodríguez at the time of the coup was about to be removed from the important position of Second in Command of the Army and transferred to the "passive post" of Defence Minister. Some observers argued that Rodríguez resisted leaving this command, and that this was a possible personal motive behind the coup to oust the President.
The violence was largely restricted to a five hour-long pitched battle between troops from the elite 1st Army corps, backed by 40 to 50 military camps, and troops loyal to the President, mainly the presidential guard. As the coup played out, army units all over the country rallied to Rodríguez’ side. Casualty estimates vary but probably range from somewhere between 50 and 300 battle-related deaths. Several of these were civilians caught in the crossfire.
Upon seizing power General Rodríguez stated that he had rebelled against General Stroessner in an effort to restore democracy in Paraguay. In a statement broadcasted over the radio after the coup had began Rodríguez said "...we have left our barracks in defence of the dignity and the honour of the armed forces, for the full and total unification of the ruling Colorado party, for the initiation of democratisation in Paraguay, for the respect of human rights, and for the defence of our Roman Catholic religion." The statement did not, however, mention the 1st Army Corps specific goals or motivations for the coup.
Post-coup elections in 1989
Following the coup, General Rodríguez was immediately sworn in as interim president and he announced his cabinet the same day. Presidential and congressional elections were set for 1 May 1989. General Rodríguez furthermore secured for himself the position of Commander in Chief over the Armed Forces. The ousted president was held in custody by the coup leaders, before being granted temporary asylum in Brazil. About 100 of Stroessner’s associates were also arrested, including 35 former officials and congressmen. Presidential and congressional elections were held on 1 May as scheduled, and were considered by international observers to be relatively free and open. General Rodríguez won with 74.18 percent of the votes. His party, the Partido Colorado, also won two thirds of the seats in parliament. The opposition parties protested strongly against the lack of opportunity to organise due to the short time limit, as well as the use of electoral rolls from Stroessner’s time.
Nonetheless, the 1989 coup marked the beginning of a democratisation process in Paraguay. Both the 1992 Constitution and the free and fair multi-party elections in 1993 reflected this shift.
