Multimillionaire Horacio Cartes declared a war on poverty Thursday as he assumed the presidency of Paraguay, AP reported. Wearing Paraguay's red-white-and-blue presidential sash, the tobacco magnate said he intends "to win every battle in the war we're declaring today against poverty in Paraguay." "I'm not in politics to make a career of it or become wealthier," said Cartes, 57, who promised to strengthen Paraguay's international ties and its commitment to human rights. Cartes, whose term runs through August 2018, built a family fortune with two dozen companies that dominate industries from banking to tobacco to soccer. Paraguayan voters focusing on hopes that the boyish-looking businessman from the dominant Colorado Party can help the country benefit more from soy profits that are boosting the economy at 10 percent a year. He won April's election with 46 percent support by promising to create many more jobs. Inaugural organizers said his most important encounter wouldn't be with fellow presidents but with 150 invited foreign executives he hopes can improve the infrastructure of the country of 6.2 million people, where 39 percent live in poverty.
