Nicanor Duarte Biography

Nicanor Duarte was the President of Paraguay from 2003 to 2008. Born into a politically active family—his parents were members of the Colorado Party (ANR-PC)—he was deeply influenced by politics from childhood. He became associated with the party at the age of 14 while studying in high school and after completing his graduation, worked as a journalist for several years. Later, he obtained a law degree, completed his doctorate and also earned a postgraduate degree in political science. Subsequently, he joined the Colorado Party and was appointed as the Minister of Education and Culture in the newly formed government in 1993. After serving for few years in the cabinet, he resigned from his post amidst a political controversy but later came back and served as the president of the party. In 2002, the party nominated him as the presidential candidate and with support from various political parties as well as independent groups, he won the elections, becoming the 11th consecutive ANR-PC candidate to be elected as the President of Paraguay. After serving for five years, he resigned from his post to become a Senator by popular vote. His decision was met with disagreement among the party members and finally, he was appointed as a non-voting Senator for life, a title he currently holds