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Paraguay's President Fernando Lugo faces impeachment | Paraguay's President Fernando Lugo faces impeachment |
(40 minutes later) | |
Paraguay's parliament has voted to have President Fernando Lugo impeached after last week's deadly land clashes. | Paraguay's parliament has voted to have President Fernando Lugo impeached after last week's deadly land clashes. |
The opposition-controlled Chamber of Deputies voted for the move by 73 votes to one. | |
Mr Lugo has faced severe criticism over his handling of a forced land eviction in which seven police officers and at least nine farmers were killed. | |
The vote has to pass to the Senate, also opposition controlled, for approval. | The vote has to pass to the Senate, also opposition controlled, for approval. |
A presidential aide, Miguel Lopez, told Agence France-Presse news agency: "The president will not resign and hopes that the time required to prepare his defence will be respected." | A presidential aide, Miguel Lopez, told Agence France-Presse news agency: "The president will not resign and hopes that the time required to prepare his defence will be respected." |
More than 300 police officers tried to evict 150 landless farmers from an estate owned by a wealthy businessman who is also a political opponent of Mr Lugo's. | |
The eviction escalated into violence and the farmers opened fire on the police. | The eviction escalated into violence and the farmers opened fire on the police. |
Nine farmers involved in the clashes were charged with murder. | |
'Irregular circumstances' | |
On Wednesday, in an attempt to calm tensions over the incident, Mr Lugo said he would open an investigation into what happened. | On Wednesday, in an attempt to calm tensions over the incident, Mr Lugo said he would open an investigation into what happened. |
The interior minister and the chief of police have already resigned over the clashes. | |
Mr Lugo, who heads a coalition government, was elected four years ago. | Mr Lugo, who heads a coalition government, was elected four years ago. |
His term ends in August 2013 and the next presidential elections are due in April of that year. | His term ends in August 2013 and the next presidential elections are due in April of that year. |
Land disputes are not unusual in Paraguay, where a small fraction of the population owns about 80% of the land. | |
The farmers have said the land was illegally taken during the 1954-1989 military rule of Gen Alfredo Stroessner and distributed among his allies. | |
According to the Paraguayan Truth Commission, 6.75 million hectares of land were sold or handed over under "irregular circumstances" during military rule. |