The Communist Party of Malta expresses its solidarity with the people of Paraguay and the ousted Leftist Paraguayan President, Fernando Lugo. The Palace coup was an illegal move by the oligarchy, who wants Paraguay to return to the days of exploitation by the elite over the majority.

When Lugo was elected President in 2008, 2 % of the population, the oligarchs controlled over 77 % of the fertile land. While the small farmers that represent 40 % of the population, owned merely 5 % of all arable farmland. The reason behind this illegal coup was because President Lugo wanted to carry out a land reform programme in favour of the peasants.   

This is the fifth attempt against leftist governments in Latin America in these last 15 years. Starting with the failed coup against the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in 2002, the coup in Honduras against Manuel Zelaya in 2009, the attempted assassination of President Evo Morales of Bolivia, and the Ecuadorian President Correa, which all had the hidden hand of the CIA.

■ Victor Degiovanni

Secretary

Communist Party of Malta