Oscar Nicanor Duarte Frutos (11 October 1956-) was President of Paraguay from 15 August 2003 to 15 August 2008, succeeding Luis Gonzalez Macchi and preceding Fernando Lugo.
Biography[]
Nicanor Duarte was born in Coronel Oviedo, Paraguay in 1956, and he worked as a radio sports commentator and columnist before serving as Education Minister under Presidents Juan Carlos Wasmosy and Luis Gonzalez Macchi. He was allies with Vice President Luis María Argaña, inheriting his clout on his 1999 assassination and being elected President in 2003 at the age of 46. Duarte became Paraguay's first Protestant and non-Catholic president, and he turned away from neoliberalism to embrace Bolivarian socialism. The economy grew during his tenure, but the public viewed him as authoritarian for his support for Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez and his proposed amendment of the constitution to allow for presidential re-election. He later served as Ambassador to Argentina from 2013 to 2016.