Posted on 06/04/2006 8:48:19 AM PDT by nuconvert
Peruvians elect a president
By TYLER BRIDGEStbridges@MiamiHerald.com
June 4, 2006
LIMA - Some 16 million Peruvians began voting at 8 a.m. this morning (Central Standard Time) to select their next president.
They have a stark choice: center-left Alan García, a former president, or ultra-nationalist leftist Ollanta Humala, a retired lieutenant colonel.
It is an unappealing choice for nearly half the voters.
García's presidency 20 years ago ended with food shortages, hyperinflation, accusations of corruption and a spreading insurgency by the Shining Path guerrilla.
García, 57, said he has learned from his mistakes.
Humala has provoked fears that he will turn Peru into a military dictatorship or serve as a puppet of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.
Humala, 43, has said he will nationalize Peru's foreign-owned mineral holdings and will redistribute wealth from the country's economic elites into the hands of the urban and rural poor.
Today's election has important implications beyond the Andes because of Chávez' fervent desire to have Peru join Cuba and Bolivia in a Venezuelan-led bloc that opposes market-friendly policies supported by the United States and Brazil.
Voting in Peru is obligatory.
The polls close at 4 p.m. today. Within minutes, television stations will report the results of exit polls from voters. But the more accurate official count will not be available until tonight at the earliest.
The results can be found at http://www.elecciones2006.onpe.gob.pe/
Go to ''resultados'' under the ''presidenciales'' column, with the ''votos validos'' column providing each candidate's actual vote count.
Polls have favored García, but the so-called hidden vote from the rural poor who don't want to admit their preference for Humala could tip the election his way.
The chart tells which party is ahead, but which candidate is "UNION POR EL PERU", which is "PARTIDO APRISTA PERUANO", and which is "UNIDAD NACIONAL"?
No se
"UNION POR EL PERU" - Ollanta Humala 30.6%
"PARTIDO APRISTA PERUANO" - Alan García 24.3%
"UNIDAD NACIONAL" - Lourdes Flores Nano 23.8%
Gracias
Actually, this is a run-off election.
Lourdes Flores, the conservative, came in a narrow third in the first round.
Humala has been heavily supported by Chavez and his money, and it does not surprise me that he is winning.
Humala, for those who do not know, is a nutcase from a family of nutcases.
I had the impression Alan Garcia was already very liberal. If he is considered only center-left, then Ollanta Humala must be extremely leftist.
Not much of a win but better then Humala
Thanks for telling me. Garcia was probably the best of the worst, but considering how bad the worst (Humala) was, I think Peru dodged a bullet.
Do you think there will be any problems with Garcia taking office? I know Humala is very connected, not only with Chavez, but with the "indigenistas."
I think I should be a law that if you have attempted a coup that you not be allowed to be a candidate. You have shown that you have no respect for the electoral process.
The big mistake with Chavez - who had attempted a coup - was that they not only released him for prison but let him be a candidate for office. Actually, the big mistake was not executing him the first time he tried to take over VZ.
Humala's family has a bad rep and has been trying to take over for years.
I have to say that that is one thing that drives me insane. When you got the bad guy finish him off! This is not a movie and we don't want any sequels.
< /soap box>
They apparently had Chavez out at the airport and were either going to kill him or ship him off to Cuba. Supposedly, word came down from State (which was not under Rice at that point, but I doubt that her approach would have been any different) to let him go. Of course, he resumed his position the very next day and had his opponents arrested and "disappeared." Converting the adjective to a verb - a common and useful practice in Spanish.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.