Fernando Lugo. | Photo: Twitter/ @eldestapeweb

Asuncion, August 10 (RHC)-- On Wednesday, former Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo (2008-2012) was urgently hospitalized in Asuncion after suffering a cerebrovascular accident.

Currently, he is in an induced coma, the doctor and legislator Jorge Querey said, specifying that Lugo was diagnosed with an "ischemic cerebrovascular accident" whose lesion is relatively small.  “However, the injury that can be enlarged or reduced.  We don't know how it will behave in the future,” he said.

Over the weekend, Lugo attended President Gustavo Petro's inauguration ceremony in Colombia, where he already presented some health symptoms, according to Esperanza Martinez, a Guasu Front Senator.

The 71-year-old senator Lugo is one of the historical leaders of the left-wing Guasu Front coalition.  He was a Roman Catholic priest who served as Bishop of the Diocese of San Pedro from 1994 to 2005.

Lugo subsequently resigned from the priesthood to become active in politics and was elected President of Paraguay in 2008, thus ending 61 years of rule by the right-wing Colorado party.

In 2012, he was victim of judicial persecution ("Lawfare") and was removed from office through an impeachment process.   One year later, however, he was elected as a senator.