Blanca Ovelar

Blanca Ovelar is a politician and former school teacher in Paraguay. She was a candidate for the ruling Colorado Party in the 2008 presidential elections. She was the first woman to run for president in Paraguay. Her defeat by Fernando Lugo marked the end of 61 years of continuous government by the Colorado Party.

Ovelar fought against former Vice President Luis Castiglioni in the Colorado Party's primary elections in December, 2007. Although she was officially endorsed by the incumbent President Duarte, results were close enough that a recount was necessary. It determined that Ovelar had won with 45.05% of the vote versus Castiglioni's 44.5%. Even after the recount, her opponent claimed fraud.International Herald Tribune: Ruling Party Schism Threatens Bid (January 22, 2008)

• Wikipedia: Blanca Ovelar
• Google News: Blanca Ovelar
• OneWorld News: Paraguay: Women Unimpressed by Female Candidate (April 10, 2008)
  • "What she actually represents is 60 years of domination by the Colorado Party, 60 years of poverty and injustice. I think it would be very hard for her to reverse that long history, and I don't think she can change it all just because she's a woman."
• TVNZ News: Paraguay's Ruling Party Faces an Election Fight (March 29, 2008)
  • "No political party in power in the world has governed as long as Paraguay's Colorado Party, which has held a tight and sometimes brutal grip on this poor South American country for more than six decades...but the center-right party is now facing one of its strongest challenges ever in the country's April 20 presidential election."
• Angus Reid: Lugo Ahead of Ovelar and Oviedo in Paraguay (March 26, 2008)
• International Herald Tribune: Woman Leads Ruling Party's Primary (December 17, 2007)
• CNN: First Woman Nominated for Paraguay President (January 21, 2008)

• Countries at the Crossroads: End of the Road for Paraguay's Colorados? (April 14, 2008)

• Upside Down World: Dissecting the Politics of Paraguay’s Next President (April 10, 2008)

• Granma International: Between Old Party Rule and Change (March 18, 2008)

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