(Jorge Saenz/Associated Press)

The Western world suppressed a yawn this week as Paraguay ousted unpopular left-leaning president Fernando Lugo.

While opposition to the perceived coup d'etat was widespread in South America, here at home the story has garnered only one short, vague press release from the Department of Foreign Affairs. (I’m waiting for follow-up from the department on the issue.)

Some muddled info has emerged over exactly why the so-called coup took place. Initial knee-jerk reactionism would dictate that Lugo’s removal looks like the evil right-wing once again ousting a left-leaning president.

In actuality, it appears as though Lugo’s own left-wing base was instrumental in his removal. As the Washington Post reports,

Many who had once seen the former bishop as their champion were increasingly put off by his missteps and sparse accomplishments. The final disappointment came earlier this month, when Lugo showed seeming indifference to the deaths of landless protesters in a firefight with police over a land dispute.

The end game concluded Friday, when in Lugo’s hour of need, the kinds of huge protests that could have pressured Congress to back down and perhaps even saved his presidency never materialized. Instead, the lower house voted 76-1 to impeach on Thursday, and the Senate gave Lugo the boot with a 39-4 vote after a fast-track trial the next day.

His impeachment was approval by even the more left-leaning party. He was replaced not by a right-wing hard-liner, but instead by a centrist liberal who had fought against right-wing repressing for decades.

Nevermind that Lugo was compromised by multiple personal scandals, political failure and the impending possibility of his own death. 

Which makes this situation all the more surreal. While Lugo’s allies on the continent are, unsurprisingly, displeased - Lugo’s own support base seems indifferent.

The story is interesting one. Lugo is mounting a campaign to be returned as president. Given the circumstances, one has to ask themselves - why? While the South American states seem to be putting all their chips on the lame horse, Canada and much of the international community seems to be hedging their bets. 

However, CBC is reporting that Canada - along with Germany and Spain - are recognizing the new government. I can’t confirm this as of yet.

The one twist in this story is offered to us by an old Wikileaks Cable that foreshadowed this weeks events in 2009.

Rumors persist that discredited General andUNACE party leader Lino Oviedo and ex-president NicanorDuarte Frutos are now working together to assume power via(mostly) legal means should President Lugo stumble in comingmonths. Their goal: Capitalize on any Lugo mis-steps tobreak the political deadlock in Congress, impeach Lugo andassure their own political supremacy…

…The presidential baton would thus, in this scenario, pass toVice President Federico Franco, who would beconstituitionally required to call vice-presidentialelections within 90 days. Given the institutional collapseand political fratricide reigning now within the ColoradoParty, Oviedo would be the obvious leading candidate.Meanwhile, Duarte, having regained his Senate seat viaSupreme Court maneuvering, would assume the Senate presidencyand become number three in the line of presidentialsuccession. The Liberal Franco would be President, butOviedo and Duarte would control Congress – and the courts.Farfetched? Perhaps. But not entirely unprecedented inParaguayan politics.

While this theory would appear a little conspiratorial if made today, the fact that it was launched well over a year ago definitely piques my curiosity.

Check back - I’ll have more.