Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Protesters stormed and set fire to the Congress building in Asuncion

Demonstrators in Paraguay have set fire to the country's parliament during violent protests against a bill that would lift presidential term limits.

One activist was killed by a blow to the head which the opposition blamed on a rubber bullet fired by police.

Under the 1992 constitution, introduced after the dictatorship, a head of state may only serve a single five-year term.

But sitting President Horacio Cartes is trying to remove the restriction and run for re-election.

Protesters were photographed smashing in windows of the congress building in the capital, Asuncion, on Friday night and setting fire to the interior.

Protesters "ransacked" the offices of those who had backed the bill, AFP news agency reports.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Protesters set tyres on fire

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Mounted units charged through the streets during clashes

Police used rubber bullets, mounted units and water cannons to disperse the crowd. A number of people were injured, with AFP saying about 30 had been hurt, including three lawmakers and a senator.

Santi Carneri, a journalist in Asuncion, told the BBC the congress building had burnt for "more than one or two hours".

There were "a lot of battles between people and the police in the streets", he said, adding that it was the worst violence of its kind since Paraguay became a democracy in 1992.

Opposition activist Rodrigo Quintana, 25, was killed by a rubber bullet fired by police when they stormed the offices of the opposition Liberal party, party leader Efrain Alegre told Efe news agency.

"The police barged in, threw people face down to the ground," according to Mr Alegre, who was also hurt. "They came in aggressively, breaking the doors, it was savagery."

Herminio Ruiz, the doctor who treated Mr Quintana, told Efe the victim had received a blow to his head, although did not specify what had caused the injury.

Police have launched an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his death.

'A coup'

In a statement released on Twitter, President Cartes appealed for calm.

"Democracy is not conquered or defended with violence and you can be sure this government will continue to put its best effort into maintaining order in the republic," he said (in Spanish).

Image copyright EPA Image caption Protesters chanted slogans outside the building

The protesters had taken to the streets following a private meeting of 25 senators - a slight majority of the house - which approved a bill to amend the constitution.

The bill must also be approved by the other house of parliament - the chamber of deputies - where President Cartes' party holds a majority.

The chamber's president, Hugo Velázquez, told ABC Color (in Spanish) that the sitting planned for the following morning would no longer take place and no decision would be made on Saturday.

Opponents say the bill will weaken the country's democratic institutions.

Opposition senator Desiree Masi said: "A coup has been carried out. We will resist and we invite the people to resist with us."

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Police used rubber bullets and water cannons, injuring some protesters

Paraguay was controlled by military ruler General Alfredo Stroessner, who seized power in a coup, from 1954 until 1989.

The new constitution in 1992 created the modern government but there has been a long period of political instability and party infighting, as well as a failed coup attempt.

President Cartes' term is due to end in 2018.

The change, if approved, would also allow former President Fernando Lugo to run again.

Mr Lugo was ousted in 2012 over his handling of a land eviction in which 17 people were killed. His supporters would like to see him run again.</s>Protesters stormed and set fire to Paraguay's Congress on Friday after the Senate secretly voted for a constitutional amendment that would allow President Horacio Cartes to run for re-election.

The country's constitution has prohibited re-election since it was passed in 1992 after a brutal dictatorship fell in 1989.

"A coup has been carried out. We will resist and we invite the people to resist with us," said Senator Desiree Masi from the opposition Progressive Democratic Party.

Firefighters managed to control the flames after protesters left the Congress building late on Friday night. But protests and riots continued in other parts of Asuncion and elsewhere in the country well into the night.

Earlier, television images showed protesters breaking windows of the Congress and clashing with police, burning tires and removing parts of fences around the building. Police in riot gear fired tear gas and rubber bullets.

Several politicians and journalists were injured, media reported, and Interior Minister Tadeo Rojas said several police were hurt. One member of the lower house of Congress, who had been participating in protests that afternoon, underwent surgery after being hit by rubber bullets.

The number of casualties was unknown.

Cartes called for calm and a rejection of violence in a statement released on Twitter.

"Democracy is not conquered or defended with violence and you can be sure this government will continue to put its best effort into maintaining order in the republic," he said.

"We must not allow a few barbarians to destroy the peace, tranquility and general wellbeing of the Paraguayan people."

The unrest coincides with a rare high-level international event in the landlocked South American country. Thousands of businessmen and government officials descended on Asuncion this week for the Inter-American Development Bank's annual board of governors meeting.

While Paraguay long suffered from political uncertainty, the soy and beef-exporting nation has been attracting investment in agriculture and manufacturing sectors in recent years as Cartes offered tax breaks to foreign investors.

Instability in the country of 6.8 million is a concern for its much larger neighbors Brazil and Argentina.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said it was monitoring the events.

"I call on political leaders to avoid inciting violence and seek dialogue," the commission's regional representative for South America, Amerigo Incalcaterra, said in a statement.

The Senate voted earlier on Friday during a special session in a closed office rather than on the Senate floor. Twenty-five lawmakers voted for the measure, two more than the 23 required for passage in the 45-member upper chamber.

Opponents of the measure, who claim it would weaken Paraguay's democratic institutions, said the vote was illegal.

The proposal will also require approval by the House, where it appeared to have strong support. A vote which had been expected early on Saturday was called off until the situation calmed down, said the chamber's president, Hugo Velazquez.

Several Latin American countries, including Paraguay, Peru and Chile, prevent presidents from running for consecutive terms in a region where memories of dictatorships remain ripe.

Others, including Colombia and Venezuela, have changed their constitutions to give sitting presidents a chance at re-election.

Paraguay's measure would apply to future presidents and Cartes, a soft-drink and tobacco mogul elected to a five-year term in 2013.

His strongest backers want him to be allowed to run for another term, but critics have said a constitutional change aimed at benefiting a sitting president would be unfair.

The change would also apply to former President Fernando Lugo, whose supporters want to be allowed to run for another term.

Congress ousted Lugo in 2012, saying he had failed in his duty to maintain social order following a bloody land eviction. The rapid impeachment drew strong criticism in Latin America, especially from fellow leftist governments.

A similar re-election proposal had been rejected in August and Congress this week voted to change the rules that required lawmakers to wait a year before voting again.

"Everything was done legally," said Senator Carlos Filizzola of the leftist Guasu Front coalition, which supports the constitutional amendment as a way of allowing Lugo to return as Paraguay's leader.</s>Protesters set fires in Paraguay’s congress after senators approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the election of a president to a second term, a move called illegal by opposition members and opposed by the senate president.

The vote on Friday was followed by clashes outside the congress building between police and protesters opposing the amendment. Some protesters broke through police lines and entered the first floor, where they set fire to papers and furniture. Police used water cannon and fired rubber bullets to drive demonstrators away from the building while firefighters extinguished blazes inside.

The measure was backed by 25 of the country’s 45 senators. The yes votes came from members of the governing Colorado party and from several opposition groups.

Opponents of the move included senate president, Roberto Acevedo, of the opposition Authentic Radical Liberal party. He argued the process used to bring the amendment to a vote violated senate rules and he filed an appeal to the supreme court seeking to have the vote overturned.

The proposal would allow the current president, Horacio Cartes, and Paraguay’s previous presidents to run for the top job again in the 2018 election. Presidents are currently limited to a single five-year term.

After approval in the senate, the proposal went to the chamber of deputies, where 44 of the 80 members belong to the Colorado party. Approval there would require the scheduling of a national referendum on the amendment.</s>Protesters in Paraguay set fire to Congress after presidential reelection vote

After hours of increasingly violent protest both ahead of and following a vote on a controversial change to the country's presidential election process, angry demonstrators broke into and set a fire on the ground floor of Paraguay's Congress building in its capital, Asuncion, Sputnik reported.

Protesters clashed with police for several hours in the capital city following a secret vote by 25 senators for a bill that would allow President Horacio Cartes to run for reelection. Demonstrators contend that this is unconstitutional.

Instead of being held on the Senate floor as usual, the vote took place in a closed office in Congress.

Police have used rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse the crowd, but protesters continue to surround the building and, according to reports, have broken in and are vandalizing the interior. Several journalists and politicians have been injured according to local media reports.

Senator Desiree Masi from the opposition Progressive Democratic Party said, "A coup has been carried out. We will resist and we invite the people to resist with us."

Tadeo Rojas, interior minister, said that a small group of protesters injured police as well, telling a press conference, "The national police were not under any instruction to repress. They were attacked."

The controversial bill will now go to Paraguay's House, where it was expected to be voted on Saturday morning.

If passed, the change would apply to Cartes, as well as future presidents. Paraguay's presidents are elected to five-year terms.</s>Men pose for a photo outside the congress building during clashes between police and protesters opposing an approved proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the election of a president to a second term in Asuncion Paraguay on Friday. Protesters stormed Paraguay's congress on Friday and set it on fire after senators approved a surprise measure that would allow presidents of the South American nation to be re-elected.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Bangkok Post.</s>ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) - Violent clashes erupted between police and protesters outside Paraguay's congress after senators approved a constitutional amendment to allow a president to run for a second term. Some protesters broke through police lines and entered the first floor, setting fire to papers and furniture.

Police late Friday used water cannon and fired rubber bullets to drive demonstrators away from the building while firefighters extinguished blazes inside.

The protests broke out after a majority of Paraguayan senators approved the amendment, a move called illegal by opposition members and opposed by the Senate president himself.

People ram a barrier into the Congress building during clashes between police and protesters opposing an approved proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the election of a president to a second term, in Asuncion, Paraguay, Friday, March 31, 2017. Some protesters broke through police lines and entered the first floor, where they set fire to papers and furniture. Police used water cannon and fired rubber bullets to drive demonstrators away from the building while firefighters extinguished blazes inside. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

The measure was backed by 25 of the country's 45 senators. The yes votes came from members of the governing Colorado Party and from several opposition groups.

Opponents of the move included Senate President Roberto Acevedo of the opposition Authentic Radical Liberal Party. He argued the process used to bring the amendment to a vote violated Senate rules and he filed an appeal to the Supreme Court seeking to have the vote overturned.

The proposal would allow current President Horacio Cartes and Paraguay's previous presidents to run for the top job again in the 2018 election. Presidents are now limited to a single 5-year term.

After approval in the Senate, the proposal went to the Chamber of Deputies, where 44 of the 80 members belong to the Colorado Party. Approval there would require the scheduling of a national referendum on the amendment.

A demonstrator holds a sign that reads in Spanish " No to the coup" during a protest against the project to change the country's constitution, in Asuncion, Paraguay, Thursday, March 30, 2017. The country's upper house of Congress is split over a proposal to amend the constitution and allow for the re-election of former presidents. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

People chant slogans outside the Congress building during clashes between police and protesters opposing an approved proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the election of a president to a second term, in Asuncion, Paraguay, Friday, March 31, 2017. Some protesters broke through police lines and entered the first floor, where they set fire to papers and furniture. Police used water cannon and fired rubber bullets to drive demonstrators away from the building while firefighters extinguished blazes inside. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)</s>ASUNCION: Security forces surrounded Paraguay's Congress on Tuesday while lawmakers argued over a possible change in law that would allow President Horacio Cartes to run for re-election, a move that the opposition says would weaken democratic institutions. This week a group of senators asked for a special session that the opposition interpreted as the start of a new campaign by Cartes and his coalition to enable presidential re-election.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Channelnewsasia.com.</s>ASUNCION (Reuters) - A protester was killed in Paraguay and two top government officials were fired after violent clashes overnight sparked by a secret Senate vote for a constitutional amendment that would allow President Horacio Cartes to run for re-election.

Activists streamed into Paraguay's capital on Saturday from the landlocked country's interior in a sign the protests may resume after the country's Congress was stormed and set on fire.

Firefighters managed to control the flames on the building's first floor on Friday. Thousands of protesters rioted in other parts of Asuncion and elsewhere in the country into the early hours of Saturday.

Reports of damage and injuries proliferated. At Congress on Saturday, charred debris and glass from broken windows littered the steps.

Rodrigo Quintana, 25, was killed by a rubber bullet fired by police at the headquarters of a liberal youth activist group, the Paraguayan opposition and a prosecutor said.

"We have a commitment to the blood Rodrigo spilled ... we will continue the fight," opposition Senator Miguel Saguier said at a press conference.

The Interior Ministry said in a statement an investigation would be opened into Quintana's death. Interior Minister Tadeo Rojas was later fired by Cartes along with the national police chief, Crispulo Sotelo.

"We are working to identify the people responsible for the events," the new interim interior minister, Lorenzo Lezcano, told a news conference.

Around 200 protesters were detained, police said, and shops and government buildings were vandalized.

Several politicians and journalists were injured, local media reported, and the government said several police were hurt. One member of the lower house of Congress, who had been participating in protests that afternoon, underwent surgery after also being hit by rubber bullets.

Meetings for the Inter-American Development Bank's (IADB) annual board of governors went ahead as scheduled in a rare high-level international event in Paraguay.

IADB President Luis Alberto Moreno called for peace and dialogue and said Paraguay would continue to be a vital partner of the regional bank.

While Paraguay has long suffered from political uncertainty and violence, the soy- and beef-exporting country has attracted investment in agriculture and manufacturing sectors in recent years as Cartes offered tax breaks to foreign investors.

"I think this is a very unfortunate event but I do not see that it will have consequences for the economy," Finance Minister Santiago Peña said.

Violent upheaval in the country of 6.8 million is a concern for its much larger neighbors Brazil and Argentina, which have increasingly looked to Paraguay for business opportunities.

The region is already worried about unrest in Venezuela, where President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday moved to quell protests and international condemnation. The pro-government Supreme Court revoked its controversial annulment of the opposition-led congress.

Cartes called for calm and a rejection of violence in a statement released on Twitter on Friday night. He promised the government would do its best to maintain order.

Paraguay's Senate voted on Friday during a special session in a closed office rather than on the Senate floor. Twenty-five lawmakers voted for the measure, two more than the 23 required for passage in the 45-member upper chamber.

Opponents of the measure, who claim it would weaken Paraguay's democratic institutions, said the vote was illegal.

The proposal will also require approval by the House, where it appeared to have strong support. A vote which had been expected early on Saturday was called off until the situation calmed down, said the chamber's president, Hugo Velazquez.

A popular referendum would also be required to change the law prohibiting re-election, passed in 1992 after the brutal dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner fell in 1989.</s>ASUNCION, April 1 (Reuters) - A protester was killed in Paraguay after violent clashes overnight sparked by a secret Senate vote for a constitutional amendment that would allow President Horacio Cartes to run for re-election.

Activists were seen arriving in Paraguay's capital on Saturday from the landlocked country's interior in a sign the protests that resulted in the country's Congress being stormed and set alight may go on.

Firefighters managed to control the flames on the building's first floor on Friday, although thousands of protesters rioted in other parts of Asuncion and elsewhere in the country into the early hours of Saturday.

Rodrigo Quintana, 25, was killed by a rubber bullet fired by police at the headquarters of a liberal youth activist group, the Paraguayan opposition said.

The Interior Ministry said in a statement an investigation would be opened into Quintana's death. His doctor said he had suffered a severe head injury.

Around 200 protesters were detained, police said, and shops and government buildings were vandalized.

Several politicians and journalists were injured, local media reported, and Interior Minister Tadeo Rojas said several police were hurt. One member of the lower house of Congress, who had been participating in protests that afternoon, underwent surgery after also being hit by rubber bullets.

Prosecutors and lawmakers were reviewing damage to the Congress on Saturday.

Meetings for the Inter-American Development Bank's (IADB) annual board of governors went ahead as scheduled in a rare high-level international event in Paraguay.

IADB President Luis Alberto Moreno called for peace and dialogue and said Paraguay would continue to be a vital partner of the regional bank.

While Paraguay has long suffered from political uncertainty, the soy- and beef-exporting country has attracted investment in agriculture and manufacturing sectors in recent years as Cartes offered tax breaks to foreign investors.

"We are saddened by what is happening, but it's the usual politics," Lea Gimenez, Paraguay's vice minister for economic affairs, told investors and journalists during a panel discussion.

Instability in the country of 6.8 million is a concern for its much larger neighbors Brazil and Argentina.

The region is already worried about unrest in Venezuela, where President Maduro on Saturday moved to quell protests and international condemnation. The pro-government Supreme Court revoked its controversial annulment of the opposition-led congress.

A presidential aide told Reuters that Cartes was meeting with his Security Council of police and military representatives and the interior minister would speak to press after the meeting.

Cartes called for calm and a rejection of violence in a statement released on Twitter on Friday. He promised the government would do its best to maintain order.

Paraguay's Senate voted on Friday during a special session in a closed office rather than on the Senate floor. Twenty-five lawmakers voted for the measure, two more than the 23 required for passage in the 45-member upper chamber.

Opponents of the measure, who claim it would weaken Paraguay's democratic institutions, said the vote was illegal.

The proposal will also require approval by the House, where it appeared to have strong support. A vote which had been expected early on Saturday was called off until the situation calmed down, said the chamber's president, Hugo Velazquez.

Gimenez said a popular referendum would also be required to change the law prohibiting re-election. (Additional reporting by Luc Cohen, writing by Caroline Stauffer; editing by Alexander Smith, G Crosse)</s>Protesters stormed and set fire to Paraguay's Congress on Friday after the Senate secretly voted for a constitutional amendment that would allow President Horacio Cartes to run for re-election, a change that will also require approval by the Lower House. The country's constitution has prohibited re-election since it was passed in 1992 after a brutal dictatorship fell in 1989.

A congressional coup has been carried out. We will resist and we invite the people to resist with us, said Senator Desiree Masi from the opposition Progressive Democratic Party.

Television images showed protesters breaking windows of the Congress after several hours of escalating violence and confrontations with police. Demonstrators burned tires and removed parts of the fences surrounding the Congress building. At first the police said it was unable to contain protestors but finally special forces in riot gear responded by lobbing tear gas and firing rubber bullets.

Several politicians and journalists were injured, local media reported, and Interior Minister Tadeo Rojas said many police were hurt. An opposition member of Congress was undergoing surgery after being shot in the face by riot police.

The number of casualties was unknown. Several people were inside Congress as the flames spread. Television images showed firefighters arriving on foot to fight the blaze.

The Senate voted earlier on Friday during a special secret session in a closed office in Congress rather than on the Senate floor. Twenty-five lawmakers voted for the measure, two more than the 23 required for passage in the 45-member upper chamber.

Opponents of the measure, who claim it would weaken Paraguay's democratic institutions, said the vote was illegal.

The proposal goes to the House, where it appeared to have strong support. A vote expected to take place early on Saturday was called off until the situation calmed down, said the chamber's President Hugo Velazquez.

I call for calm, Velazquez said. Tomorrow we will not take any decision; we will not hold a session.

Several Latin American countries, including Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Chile, prevent presidents from running for consecutive terms in a region where the memories of military dictatorships remain ripe.

Others, including Colombia and Venezuela, have changed their constitutions to give sitting presidents a one chance at re-election.

Paraguay's measure would apply to future presidents and Cartes, a soft-drink and tobacco mogul elected to a five-year term in 2013.

His strongest backers want him to be allowed to run for another term next year, but critics of the measure have said a constitutional change aimed at benefiting a sitting president would be unfair.

The change would also apply to former President Fernando Lugo, whose supporters want to be allowed to run for another term.

Everything was done legally, said Senator Carlos Filizzola of the leftist Guasu Front coalition, which supports the constitutional amendment as a way of allowing Lugo to return as Paraguay's leader.

The irony is that Lugo, a former bishop elected by a catchall coalition was removed from office following charges of incompetence by the Senate in 2012. The Senate had a working majority of the hegemonic Colorado party that has dominated Paraguayan politics for decades.

In fresh presidential elections, 2013, the Colorado party candidate Horacio Cartes was the clear winner. Now the left leaning party headed by Lugo and the conservative incumbent Colorado have agreed to amend the constitution.

Paraguay's constitution has prohibited re-election since it was passed in 1992 after a several decades brutal dictatorship fell in 1989.

President Cartes called for calm and a rejection of violence in a statement released on Twitter. Democracy is not conquered or defended with violence and you can be sure this government will continue to put its best effort into maintaining order in the republic, he said, adding We must not allow a few barbarians to destroy the peace, tranquility and general well-being of the Paraguayan people.

The unrest coincides with a rare high-level international event in the landlocked country. Thousands of businessmen and government officials descended on Asuncion this week for the Inter-American Development Bank's annual board of governors meeting.

While Paraguay long suffered from political uncertainty, the soy- and beef-exporting nation has been attracting investment in agriculture and manufacturing sectors in recent years as Cartes offered tax breaks to foreign investors.

Instability in the country of 6.8 million is a concern for its much larger neighbors Brazil and Argentina.
Some individuals set the Congress of Paraguay on fire. The attack occurs during a protest against a bill that would let the president seek re-election.