New military commanders have been appointed in Paraguay after rumors of an imminent coup d'etat became widespread in the country.
President Fernando Lugo fired army, navy and air force commanders on Wednesday; a day after the leftist leader publicly dismissed rumors of a military coup.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Rear Admiral Cibar Benitez, kept his post but is due to give it up next month, AFP reported.
Benitez denied there had been any military rebellion planned, saying "Nobody in the armed forces had these intentions.”
The military chiefs fired were Army General Oscar Velazquez, Navy Rear Admiral Claudelino Recalde and Air Force General Hugo Aranda.
They were replaced by General Bartolome Pineda, Rear Admiral Egberto Orue, and General Dario Davalos, respectively.
Congress, dominated by Lugo's opponents, warned the leftist president against overstepping his authority, and threatened to go ahead with an impeachment process started before the reshuffling took place.
The developments in the country come after a military coup ousted leftist Honduran President Manuel Zelaya in June.
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