BUENOS AIRES, April 20 (Xinhua) -- The victory of former Catholic bishop Fernando Armindo Lugo Mendez in Paraguay's presidential election Sunday marks the end of the Colorado Party's rule of more than six decades in the South American country.

    Lugo, from the Patriotic Alliance for Change, won 40.7 percent of votes, a lead of 10 percentage points over closest rival Blanca Ovelar, a formal education minister from the ruling Colorado Party, preliminary electoral results showed.

    Analysts say a number of factors contributed to Lugo's victory, including the Colorado Party's poor execution of policies and cracks within its ranks, as well as Lugo's personal charisma.

    CALL FOR CHANGE

    The Colorado Party has governed Paraguay since the 1940s. However, its rule of more than half a century did not produce economic prosperity and social progress for the country.

    Recent years, in particular, have seen remarkably slow economic growth, making Paraguay one of the least developed nations in South America.

    The gap between the rich and the poor has continued to widen, with the latter making up as much 40 percent of Paraguay's population.

    Moreover, charges of corruption among government officials have heavily damaged the reputation of the Colorado Party for voters.

    Dissatisfied with the present situation, the people of Paraguay have given a strident call for change by unseating the ruling party.

    COLORADO PARTY WEAKENED BY SPLIT

    The ruling Colorado Party acquired considerable political resources during its long reign. But the disputed party primaries last year undermined its integrity.

    Ovelar won the Colorado primaries over former Vice President Luis Castiglioni by a narrow margin in December 2007. While Ovelar gained the support of President Nicanor Duarte Frutos, Castiglioni accused Duarte of manipulating the election and refused to support Ovelar in the presidential election, which reduced support for her from Colorado Party faithfuls.

    LUGO'S PERSONAL CHARISMA

    Lugo's attractive appearance and outstanding charisma were also important reasons behind his win.

    As bishop in the San Pedro diocese, Paraguay's poorest region, Lugo gained great popularity among the impoverished, earning the sobriquet of "the bishop of the poor". His call for social equality and protection of the interests of the poor helped him garner wide support from the middle and lower classes as well.

    Lugo launched his political career in late 2006 after the Vatican suspended him for getting into politics as he had organized a 40,000-strong protest against President Duarte in March that year.

    Advocating mild political policies, Lugo united leftist unions, Indians and poor farmers into a 22-party opposition coalition called the Patriotic Alliance for Change and became its leader.

    CHALLENGES AHEAD

    However, though Lugo has won the presidential election, he will face many difficulties and challenges after taking office, say analysts.

    First, the Patriotic Alliance for Change is a loose political coalition. It will not be easy to curb contradictions in the government.

    Second, the Colorado Party may use every possible opportunity to make trouble for the new government, thereby posing a big challenge for political greenhorn Lugo.

    Third, it will not be easy for Lugo to implement the reforms he proposed during his election campaign. For instance, the agriculture reform aiming to protect the interests of landowner on the one hand, and ensure that farmers have land on the other, is barely feasible, commentators note.