Paraguay congress axes measure for presidential re-election
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Paraguay's Chamber of Deputies has rejected a proposed constitutional amendment allowing for presidential re-election, voting nearly four weeks after a secret Senate ballot to approve the measure set off riots in which protesters burned furniture in Congress.
A governing party official says the lower house of Congress voted 78 against the amendment, with one abstention Wednesday.
Allowing re-election of presidents is divisive in Paraguay, where memories remain strong of a 35-year military dictatorship that ended only in 1989. A large crowd celebrated outside congress after Wednesday's vote.
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The initiative was initially seen as aimed at helping President Horacio Cartes stay in power. But Cartes announced nearly two weeks ago that he would not be a candidate in the 2018 election even if congress approved the amendment.