Paraguay president removed from office
The president of Paraguay has been impeached and removed from office, having been judged by the country's senate to have failed in his duties. Fernando Lugo accepted the vote, but said that democracy was the loser.
There were some reports of violence outside the Congress building - with police using water cannon and tear gas against demonstrators angry at Lugo's removal - when the results of the vote were announced.
"Today it is not Fernando Lugo who has taken a blow," Lugo said, accepting the vote. "It's not Fernando Lugo, but Paraguayan democracy, that has been profoundly injured."
"May the blood of the just not be spilled," said Lugo, who appealed for peace after earlier accusing the lawmakers of a political coup.
During the swiftly-executed impeachment process, lawmakers in the upper house found Lugo guilty by 39 votes to 4 of poorly performing his duties on several accounts. Delegates in the upper-house had voted almost unanimously on Thursday to press ahead with the impeachment.
http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16045416,00.html
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