Lugo calls himself an independent and has steered clear of Latin America's more radical leftwing leaders, such as Venezuela's Hugo Chávez and Evo Morales in Bolivia. But he is seen as a likely ally of moderate leftist presidents in the region.

Lugo, nicknamed the "bishop of the poor", was confident Paraguayans would elect him in the hope of seeing "a different country", likening himself to a David fighting a "monstrous Goliath". The Colorado party has stayed in power by means of democracy and dictatorship, ruling even longer than Cuba's Communist party.

Eight months ago, Lugo welded unions, Indians and poor farmers into a coalition with the main opposition party to form the Patriotic Alliance for Change.

Many ordinary Paraguayans had become fed up of what they saw as a corrupt establishment, that failed to safeguard the poorest in a country landlocked by wealthier neighbours Argentina and Brazil, and economically dependent on its agricultural and hydroelectric power exports.