606
decisions come predominantly from the party's top echelons. This does not encourage competition for party office at the local levels or within its professional and student associations. Individuals often join the Colorado Party to gain access to economic and social advantages such as enrollment at the national university, admission to government employment, and permission to bid on public contracts.
General elections are held every five years, and the law requires all Paraguayans eighteen years of age and over to vote. The Colorado Party enjoys greater freedom to contest elections than does the opposition, since it controls the electoral machinery and the body responsible for investigating electoral fraud and malfeasance. Of the three legally-constituted opposition political parties, one voluntarily abstains from the electoral process, while the other two participate and are represented in the Parliament. Disunity, lack of funds, restricted access to the media, difficulties in obtaining permission to hold meetings, and government harassment are factors which prevent the opposition from competing effectively. The Colorados garnered 89.6% of * the vote in 1978. Paraguay's electoral law limits the party receiving a plurality of the vote to two-thirds of the seats in the Parliament. The controlling Colorado majority and the vertical character of the party's organization assure that Government policy invariably is approved by the legislature.
Some political groups do not enjoy juridical recognition from the Government and, therefore, cannot participate in the political process. In any case, most of these groups reject participation under the current electoral law. The Christian Democratic Party continues to seek juridical recognition. dissident Mopoco faction of the Colorado Party is in exile. The Communist Party is proscribed by law. Regardless of their legal status, however, all opposition political parties are subject to varying degrees of harassment by the authorities.
The Paraguayan Constitution guarantees "the equality of civil and political rights" of women, while emphasizing the importance of marriage and the unity of the family. Women play a subordinate role in the political life of Paraguay. However, the executive and judicial branches of the Government have a few prominent female officials, and there are three women in the ninety-member Parliament. Several others, including a prominent human rights leader, enjoy independent political
renown.
3.
Government Attitude Regarding International and Non- governmental Investigation of Alleged Violations of Human Rights
The
The Paraguayan Government normally responds to inquiries from the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IAHRC) but has yet to permit an on-site inspection by the IAHRC, despite repeated commitments dating back to 1977. In October 1982, the Paraguayan Human Rights Commission held a three-day congress in Asuncion which drew human rights representatives from several countries and organizations to consider the human rights situation in Paraguay.
The 1982 session of the UNHRC voted to discontinue consideration of the human rights situation in Paraguay. The decision of the UNHRC was a reaffirmation of its decision taken the previous year to drop consideration of the Paraguayan case. The decision reflected the view that developments in Paraguay in the intervening year had not been such as to cause a renewal of examination by the UNHRC of the human rights situation in Paraguay. The Government of Paraguay cooperated fully with the UNHRC during the proceedings regarding its case. The Government defends its human rights performance and considers negative comments, from whatever source, as unwarranted interference in its internal affairs.
!
Among the individual Rights Com Paraguayan for the De composed o parties al in Paragua These orga in Paragua they are a tenure. T detainees. subjected the policej passports, confiscate Rights Con significan
4.
Econom
The socio- principall agricultur half of th isolation developmen economic a the nation welfare in has also s customs wh socio-econ and econom affected P production agricultur gross dome
The countr relation t California| year. Whi developmen it has mad developmen redistribu Welfare, t
landless f
covering a hectares p exaggerate on the rur
Paraguay's were alter embarked o the Parana Argentina. Paraguayan project in Half of th Alternativ $100 milli projects, Argentina,
The inflow at Itaipu particular annual per