Paraguay's president Fernando Lugo ousted from office

[malaise]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/22/paraguay-fernando-lugo-ousted
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Paraguay's senate voted to remove President Fernando Lugo from office on Friday in an impeachment trial that has plunged the South American country into a crisis.

After a five-hour trial, 39 senators voted to dismiss Lugo, while four senators voted against and two were absent. Based on the decision, Lugo is to be replaced by vice-president Federico Franco of the Authentic Radical Liberal party.

Crowds of pro-Lugo protesters took to the streets condemning the impeachment trial and expressing support for the president. Police in anti-riot gear drove them back on horseback and using water cannon.

Paraguay's lower house of congress voted to impeach Lugo on Thursday. The senate tried him on five charges of malfeasance in office, including an alleged role in a deadly confrontation between police and landless farmers that left 17 dead.

The Venezuelan foreign minister, Nicolas Maduro, who travelled to Paraguay ahead of the vote as part of a delegation from the UNASUR regional bloc, denounced it as a "new type of coup".