Trust the MSM to spin a total defeat into a looming victory. I'll bet they will demand re-count after recount until their side wins.
Posted on 04/09/2006 5:52:22 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
A FIERY populist who is deeply critical of the United States looks set to top the polls in today’s Peruvian presidential election, in the latest manifestation of Latin America’s embrace of left-wing anti-Washington politics.
Ollanta Humala, 42, a former army officer, was predicted to secure 29.2% of the vote ahead of his nearest rival, Lourdes Flores, a conservative pro-business former congresswoman, on 25.6%, and Alan Garcia, the former centre-left president, on 21.9%, according to a poll by Lima University.
The two highest placed candidates will go into a run-off, but analysts said that Humala would find it hard to defeat either of his two rivals.
Humala, who likes to be known as “El Comandante”, has targeted the 14m Peruvians living on or below the poverty line who have seen little benefits from the free-market reforms and economic liberalisation of the 1990s.
Suspicious of foreign investment, he has pledged to review all contracts with privatised companies and called for obligatory state participation in “strategic” assets including ports, airports, mines and the energy sector. He has also said that he will block a proposed free-trade agreement with Washington.
Humala’s anti-Americanism is reminiscent of that of Hugo Chavez, the left-leaning president of Venezuela, and Evo Morales, who was elected leader of Bolivia in December.
During his campaign, Humala has visited both men, who, together with Fidel Castro, the veteran Cuban leader, have jokingly referred to themselves as “the axis of good” — a reference to the characterisation in 2002 of President George W Bush of Iran, North Korea and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq as the axis of evil.
“El Comandante” first came to national prominence in 2000 when, as a lieutenant-colonel in the army, he mounted a small uprising against Alberto Fujimori, the then president. It was a dismal failure but left Humala with a romantic popular image.
The swell of support for Humala will add to concerns in Washington about the apparent swing to the left in Latin America, a region it considers its backyard.
It coincides with a further deterioration in US relations with Venezuela after the car of William Brownfield, the ambassador, was pelted with eggs, onions and tomatoes by supporters of Chavez during a visit to a housing estate in Caracas, the capital. The State Department protested.
The Venezuelan leader has long been at loggerheads with Washington, accusing it of orchestrating assassination and coup attempts in order to get its hands on his country’s vast oil reserves.
It appears that South Americans will be heading here in droves.
This is part of our illegal alien problem. We've let all the people who could oppose these people into our own country to tend to the grass at the golf course.
This sentence does not seem to fit the rest of the article.
The winner needs a majority, so there will be a runoff in May. Odd that they didn't mention that.
Much depends on which candidate Alan Garcia gets behind.
The odd thing about this election is that Humala was running behind Lourdes Flores until the media began to blast him for crimes and corruption. For some reason, that made him more popular with the voters.
Whats with Latin America these days? Its going down the toilet with leftist / socialist regimes. Even if the people there have views contrary to the current administration, why would they want to be run into the ground by tin pot dictators? Its like saying "Wow, the people of Cuba have a wonderful life - lets do the same thing!" Theres logic for ya.
What's the situation in Ecuador ? I may be spending about three months there late this year.
Review history. It's been that way south of the border for years. They screw up the countries they live in and jump our border to do the same here.
You are exactly right. Virtually the whole of South America has turned to the left which only digs the sink hole deeper. What will be coming will make the present invasion look like a trickle.
Trust the MSM to spin a total defeat into a looming victory. I'll bet they will demand re-count after recount until their side wins.
Who doesn't? (smirk)
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.