Lugo Paraguay's president-elect

Paraguayan former Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo Former bishop Fernando Lugo has won Paraguay's presidential election, according to an exit poll giving him 43 percent of the vote. His rival Blanca Ovelar, the Colorado Party candidate has had 37 percent of the votes so far and Lino Oviedo, 64, a retired army chief who helped stage a coup, was in third place with 16 percent of the vote. Paraguayans witness a historically tight presidential race that pitted a former Roman Catholic bishop against the candidate of the Colorado Party, which has ruled for 61 years. Polls closed at 4 p.m. (2000 GMT), although a few voting stations that got off to a late start were expected to extend their hours. Most voter surveys conducted before the election showed ex-bishop Fernando Lugo edging out the ruling party's Blanca Ovelar, who is the first woman to run for president of Paraguay, and retired army Gen. Lino Oviedo. There is no runoff vote in Paraguay. Victory for the leftist-leaning Lugo ends the conservative Colorado Party's 61-year domination of the presidency. BGA/HAR