Fernando Lugo became the first candidate not from the Colorado Party candidate to be elected President of Paraguay in 61 years.

Fernando Armindo Lugo Méndez is a Paraguayan politician and laicized Catholic bishop who was President of Paraguay from 2008 to 2012. Previously, he was a Roman Catholic priest and bishop, serving as Bishop of the Diocese of San Pedro from 1994 to 2005. He was elected as president in 2008, an election that ended 61 years of rule by the Colorado Party.

The National Republican Association, also known as the Colorado Party, is a conservative political party in Paraguay, founded on 11 September 1887 by Bernardino Caballero. Since 1947, the colorados, as they are known, has been dominant in Paraguayan politics and has controlled the presidency since 1948 – notwithstanding a brief interruption between 2008 and 2013 – as well as having a majority in both chambers of Congress and department governorships.

General elections were held in Paraguay on 20 April 2008. Elections were held for the presidency, 45 senators, 80 representatives, 17 governors and Paraguay's members in the Mercosur Parliament.

The president of Paraguay, officially known as the president of the Republic of Paraguay, is the head of the executive branch of the government of Paraguay, serving as both head of state and head of government according to the Constitution of Paraguay. His honorific title is Su Excelencia.