Newspapers in Paraguay
According to CHEEROUTDOOR.COM, Paraguay is a country located in South America.the spread of daily newspapers in Paraguay is relatively limited (43 newspaper excl. Per 1,000 residents, 2000). There are six daily newspapers with a total circulation of about 200,000 copies. The largest is Popular (edition: 125,000 copies), followed by ABC Color (approx. 75,000 copies), which is considered government-critical and closed by the government in 1984-89, when the media was subject to state control. Since 1989, however, freedom of the press has prevailed.
According to MATHGENERAL.COM, Paraguay has about 50 radio stations, including one state, Radio Nacional del Paraguay. The four TV stations are private. There are 182 radio and 218 TV receivers per 1,000 residents (2000).
Culture
According to CALCULATORINC, devastating wars, as well as periods of dictatorship and isolation from the outside world, have left their mark on Paraguay’s culture. Several writers who portrayed the country’s troubled history have caused controversy and many have been exiled. The search for a national identity has also employed several writers and poets.
Perhaps the most well-known author, Augusto Roa Bastos (1917–2005), wrote his works in Spanish mixed with the Native American language guaraní. As the first Paraguayan, he was awarded the Spanish Cervantes Prize in 1989.
The music is mostly European in origin. Most famous is the popular dance form polca, which only has the name in common with European polka. The guaranías dance music is performed on a kind of Native American harp. One famous harp player was José Asunción Flores (1904-1972). Other famous dances are the canter and the bottle dance, where the dancers balance the bottles on the head.
Theater performances are given in Spanish and Guarani. The country’s most well-known playwrights are Spanish-born Josefina Plá (1903-1999).
According to MILITARYNOUS.COM, Paraguay is rich in folk and religious art, introduced in the 18th century by Jesuit monks. There are also examples of modern and avant-garde artist groups.
2016
October
The president wants to change the constitution
October 31st
President Horacio Cartes confirms long-standing speculation when he announces that he wants to bring about a constitutional change to be able to run for re-election in 2018. This will be done by appointing a so-called Constituent Assembly to rewrite the entire constitution. Carte’s supporters within the Colorado Party have long pushed the issue of amending the Constitution’s ban on re-election for a president. However, another faction within the government party opposes the idea.
August
Soldiers killed by Marxist guerrillas
August 27th
At least eight soldiers die in an attack that the left-wing guerrilla EPP is suspected to be behind.
July
Long prison sentences after ground protests
July 11
Eleven landless farm workers are sentenced to between 4 and 30 years in prison for protests four years earlier when six police officers were killed (see June 2012). Human rights organizations claim that deficiencies have occurred in the legal process and five of the defendants have hunger strikes in protest. Eleven farmworkers were also killed at the 2012 clash, but the deaths have not been investigated.
June
Jail fire provokes debate
June 10th
A fire in a prison requires the lives of five prisoners and a prison guard, and leads to a debate about neglected maintenance in the country’s overcrowded prisons.
May
The Minister of Education resigns
May 5th
After a period of extensive student protests, Minister of Education Marta Lafuente resigns.
January
Action against corruption
January 28
President Cartes orders all public agencies to publish their payrolls since 2003. The purpose is to identify “planilleros” – individuals who get paid for having political connections to or are related to political leaders (clientelism and nepotism), without necessarily making any information at all. It has been commonplace in Paraguay since Stroessner’s days (1954–1989) and has been tolerated by all governments thereafter. However, several corruption scandals, including in the Supreme Electoral Court (see December 2015), have recently raised criticism of the phenomenon.
Raid against the Football Association
7 th of January
The Prosecutor’s Office orders a raid on Conmebol’s headquarters, as part of the US-led investigation into Fifa (see June and December 2015).
