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Paraguay's President Fernando Lugo reviews soldiers - Source: Reuters -
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Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo dismissed the country's three
top military commanders, a day after denying rumours of a possible
coup amidst growing opposition criticism of his government.
Lugo replaced the heads of the army, navy and air force, a
statement from the Armed Forces press office said, in his third
shake-up of the top military command since he came to power a
year-and-a-half ago.
He made no comment about the decision.
A left-leaning former Roman Catholic bishop, Lugo won the
presidency last year, ending more than 60 years of rule by the
conservative Colorado Party.
His governing coalition has struggled to push through a reformist
agenda and faces stiff opposition from Colorado lawmakers who
control Congress.
Opposition leaders have increased criticism of Lugo in recent days,
accusing him of failing to curb rising crime and calling for an
investigation into accusations of improper land sales allegedly
involving a presidential aide.
On Tuesday, Lugo denied the threat of a military coup in comments
to reporters but warned of a small group of military officers who
he said might be siding with his political foes.
According to Paraguayan media reports, the military shake-up came
after Lugo reportedly learned that some high-ranking military
officials held meetings with opposition lawmakers over the
weekend.
One of South America's poorest countries, Paraguay has been shaken
by periodic bouts of political instability and several coup
attempts since democracy was restored in 1989 after a 35-year
military dictatorship led by General Alfredo Stroessner.
