Requião challenges Dias and calls him "jabuticaba liberalism"
An opponent of Álvaro Dias, former governor Roberto Requião reacted to the assertion that Fernando Lugo had 18 hours to defend himself, recalling that, in a traffic violation, a Paraguayan citizen has 10 days to present their defense and another five for appeal.
247 – Former governor of Paraná, Senator Roberto Requião (PMDB-PR), took to the podium to react to the statement by fellow Senator Álvaro Dias (PSDB-PR) that former Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo had 18 hours to defend himself but did not exercise his right. “In a traffic fine case, a Paraguayan citizen has ten days to present their defense and another five for an appeal,” Requião reminded. In his view, Lugo's impeachment was a coup only denied by those who defend what he called “jabuticaba liberalism” (a term used to describe Brazil's uniquely Brazilian, often derogatory, political ideology). Read below the report on Álvaro Dias's position:
Álvaro Dias: "Lugo had an opportunity to defend himself"
In the plenary session, the senator from the PSDB party argued that the former president of Paraguay, Fernando Lugo, had 18 hours to present his defense, but chose not to exercise that right; after meeting with Federico Franco, Dias promises to file a lawsuit with the Supreme Federal Court against the country's exclusion from Mercosur.
247 - Eighteen hours. According to Senator Álvaro Dias (PSDB/PR), this was enough time for the former president of Paraguay, Fernando Lugo, to present his defense in the impeachment process that removed him from power.
Dias went to the plenary session this Monday to read excerpts from the Paraguayan Constitution and the rules governing an impeachment process in the neighboring country. According to the Paraná state parliamentarian, Paraguayan law established an 18-hour deadline for Lugo to defend himself. "And he chose not to exercise that right," said the senator. "Those who want to offer lessons in constitutional law to Paraguay don't know the Paraguayan Constitution."
Just over a week ago, Dias was in Asunción and met with the new president, Federico Franco. Since then, he has been acting as a kind of informal ambassador for the new regime. “I saw the pride of the Paraguayan people reborn in the streets of Asunción, with flags flying from houses,” he said. “Peace has been restored in the country.”
Although Lugo's removal met legal requirements, external analysts define the process as a coup due to its speed. Everything happened in less than 30 hours. But, according to Álvaro Dias, the former president did not defend himself because he did not want to.