Editor
05-06-2006, 12:06 PM
Ex-president beats nationalist in Peru runoff vote
Alan Garcia, the former president, beat a fiery ex-army nationalist in Peru's run-off election yesterday, staging a political comeback after his 1980s government ended in economic ruin, rebel violence and accusations of rights abuses.
The result is a blow for Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela, who sparked a diplomatic spat with Peru after trying to take advantage of a populist anti-US tide in Latin America by supporting Ollanta Humala, a former army commander.
With 77% of the ballots counted, Garcia, who portrays himself as a left-of-centre democrat, won about 55% of the vote and Humala, who spooked many middle-class Peruvians with calls for a revolution against the rich, had some 45%.
Humala concedes defeat
Humala conceded defeat at a news conference but vowed to push for his nationalist revolution to help the half of Peru's population living in poverty through his party's 45 seats in Congress, the largest presence in a fractured parliament.
A jubilant Garcia waved a white handkerchief - a traditional victory symbol of his APRA party - as thousands of ecstatic supporters gathered outside his campaign headquarters in Lima and fireworks filled the sky. Some sobbed with joy.
"Today, Peru has sent a message of national sovereignty and has defeated efforts by Hugo Chavez to incorporate us in the expansion strategy of his military and backward-looking model, which he's tried to implant in Latin America," Garcia said.
Many Peruvians voted for Garcia - dubbed "Latin America's Kennedy" when he was first elected at the age of 35 - seeing him as the lesser of two evils and less hostile to business.
Peru-Venezuela ties taking strain
"This is a setback for Chavez's project," said Patricio Navia, a political scientist at New York University. "Both Garcia and Chavez are going to lower the tone of their exchanges but I don't think the two countries are going to break off relations," he added, referring to Chavez's pledges to cut diplomatic ties with Peru if Garcia won.
Garcia says he has learned from his mistakes and will better manage Peru's economy after five years of unprecedented growth. But Peruvians who were left destitute by his first term are still very suspicious of the 57-year-old lawyer. He still preaches state regulation and his victory is another sign of a backlash against free-market reforms in Latin America, which have done little to improve the living conditions of millions of voters. - Reuters
June 05, 2006, 09:00
http://www.sabcnews.com/world/south_america/0,2172 ,128805,00.html
Alan Garcia, the former president, beat a fiery ex-army nationalist in Peru's run-off election yesterday, staging a political comeback after his 1980s government ended in economic ruin, rebel violence and accusations of rights abuses.
The result is a blow for Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela, who sparked a diplomatic spat with Peru after trying to take advantage of a populist anti-US tide in Latin America by supporting Ollanta Humala, a former army commander.
With 77% of the ballots counted, Garcia, who portrays himself as a left-of-centre democrat, won about 55% of the vote and Humala, who spooked many middle-class Peruvians with calls for a revolution against the rich, had some 45%.
Humala concedes defeat
Humala conceded defeat at a news conference but vowed to push for his nationalist revolution to help the half of Peru's population living in poverty through his party's 45 seats in Congress, the largest presence in a fractured parliament.
A jubilant Garcia waved a white handkerchief - a traditional victory symbol of his APRA party - as thousands of ecstatic supporters gathered outside his campaign headquarters in Lima and fireworks filled the sky. Some sobbed with joy.
"Today, Peru has sent a message of national sovereignty and has defeated efforts by Hugo Chavez to incorporate us in the expansion strategy of his military and backward-looking model, which he's tried to implant in Latin America," Garcia said.
Many Peruvians voted for Garcia - dubbed "Latin America's Kennedy" when he was first elected at the age of 35 - seeing him as the lesser of two evils and less hostile to business.
Peru-Venezuela ties taking strain
"This is a setback for Chavez's project," said Patricio Navia, a political scientist at New York University. "Both Garcia and Chavez are going to lower the tone of their exchanges but I don't think the two countries are going to break off relations," he added, referring to Chavez's pledges to cut diplomatic ties with Peru if Garcia won.
Garcia says he has learned from his mistakes and will better manage Peru's economy after five years of unprecedented growth. But Peruvians who were left destitute by his first term are still very suspicious of the 57-year-old lawyer. He still preaches state regulation and his victory is another sign of a backlash against free-market reforms in Latin America, which have done little to improve the living conditions of millions of voters. - Reuters
June 05, 2006, 09:00
http://www.sabcnews.com/world/south_america/0,2172 ,128805,00.html