December 14, 2004
Contact: George Yatchisin
(805) 893-3494
e-mail: yatchisin-g@ sa.ucsb.edu
Carlos Mateo Balmelli, President of the National Senate in Paraguay, delivers the lecture The Challenges of Democracy in Latin America at the McCune Conference Room at UCSB
Summary Facts:
- Carlos Mateo Balmelli
- President of the National Senate in Paraguay
- Regents’ Lecturer in the UCSB Department of Political Science
- Free Public Lecture: The Challenges of Democracy in Latin America
- Wednesday, January 19 / 4 pm / McCune Conference Room, 6020 Humanities and Social Sciences Building, UCSB
- Information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535
Carlos Mateo Balmelli, the dynamic and inspiring President of the National Senate of Paraguay and a powerful contributor to the democratization process in South America, will deliver the lecture The Challenges of Democracy in Latin America on Wednesday, January 19 at 4 pm at the McCune Conference Room, 6020 Humanities and Social Sciences Building, UCSB. This is a free event. Balmelli is visiting UCSB as a Regents’ Lecturer in the Department of Political Science.
Balmelli’s lecture will explore how Latin American countries can establish democracy in societies recovering from authoritarian regimes (Paraguay itself experienced the region’s longest dictatorship under Alfredo Stroessner who ruled for 35 years until 1989). Balmelli will draw on his own experiences as President of the National Senate in Paraguay where he has worked as a voice of the opposition party to the longtime ruling Colorado party, currently led by President Nicanor Duarte Frutos. For example in 2003 Balmelli presented priority bills to be discussed in the Parliament, including bills on the IPS (Social Security Institute), public banking reforms, public financing, financial reforms and road infrastructure. The goal was to overcome unresolved social conflicts and establish groundwork where all of Paraguay’s citizens could participate in their democracy.
Dr. Balmelli has been active in the Paraguayan Liberal Party since the end of the dictatorship, when he was a member of the subsequent Constitutional Assembly. He has worked as director of CERPA (Center of Real Paraguayan Studies), advised the Chamber of Banks in Paraguay, and counseled the National Congress of Finance Reform and State Reform. He was the Vice Secretary of State in 1999 and, since becoming President of the National Senate, he has continued his work as an international emissary for Paraguay, traveling to Japan and Taiwan.
As a Regents’ Lecturer in the UCSB Department of Political Science, Balmelli will engage with students and faculty from various academic departments. Instituted in 1962 to encourage rare and invaluable interaction between gifted non-academics and the university community, the Regents’ Lectureship program of the University of California has continued to provide campus residencies in sponsoring departments for people with distinguished achievement in the arts, sciences, humanities, business, politics and international affairs.
Carlos Mateo Balmelli is presented by UCSB Department of Political Science and UCSB Arts & Lectures.
For tickets or more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.
Editor: For photos, please call
George Yatchisin at (805) 893-3494.