1989 Paraguayan general election

Early general elections were held in Paraguay on 1 May 1989,[1] following a military coup on 3 February which toppled Alfredo Stroessner who had been re-elected the previous year. For the first time in several years, the opposition was allowed to contest the elections more or less unmolested; the Communists were the only party that was banned from taking part.[2][3]

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Andrés Rodríguez, who had led the coup and had been serving as provisional president since then, was elected president in his own right[3][2] running on the Colorado Party ticket. The Colorado Party also won 48 of the 72 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. Voter turnout was 54% in the presidential election and 52% in the parliamentary elections.[4]

The presidential elections were held under a provision of the constitution that required a fresh election in the event that the incumbent resigned less than two years into his term. That same provision stipulated that the winner would not serve a full five-year term, but only the balance of the previous president's term.[3]