'I Am a Centrist'

On Friday, Fernando Lugo, a 57-year-old former Roman Catholic bishop, will be sworn in as president of Paraguay. Lugo made history in last April's national election when he defeated the candidate of the Colorado Party, which has been in power for more than six decades and is the world's longest-ruling party. Elected on campaign pledges to curb poverty and rampant corruption, Lugo considers himself a moderate, even though his political rivals sought to portray him as a populist who would seek closer ties to left-wing leaders in Latin America like Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. Lugo spoke recently with NEWSWEEK's María Amparo Lasso. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: Do you consider yourself a leftist?
Fernando Lugo: No, I have always said I am a centrist, like the hole of a poncho, standing above political parties. That was a decisive ingredient in our triumph. [As a priest and bishop] I have chosen a preferential option for the poor for the past 30 years, but you cannot translate a pastoral option into an ideological/political choice.

During the electoral campaign you were keen to distance yourself from Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. Why?
In Paraguay we will design our own political project. Each country has the independence to build its own model, [and] we will not emulate Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia or Ecuador.

But you seem to be following the lead of Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador in calling for the election of an assembly that would draft a new constitution for the country.
Paraguayan society wants a new constitution. We traveled throughout the country listening to people's needs, and one of the most important demands had to do with rewriting the 1992 Constitution, [which] has many flaws. It is time to call a new constituent assembly to modernize our democratic institutions.

What does Chavez's so-called 21st-century socialism mean to you?
I think it is a work in progress. If 21st-century socialism promotes social justice, equality and harmony, it could be a viable project [for Paraguay].

You have criticized the United States for supporting dictatorships in the past. How do you view your relationship with the U.S.?
We want to improve our relations with the United States. I have been invited by the Bush administration to visit the U.S. very soon, and this will be an opportunity to find new ways of cooperation.