Posted on 06/07/2006 10:59:26 PM PDT by Bangupjob
Democracy: Peru's Alan Garcia should never have been re-elected to anything, given his disastrous term as president from 1985 to 1990. That voters forgave and re-elected him Sunday only shows how bad the alternative was.
Two months ago, when the first round of Peru's presidential elections was held, there was reason to despair. Free-market candidate Lourdes Flores was knocked out of the running by just a few thousand votes. That left Alan Garcia squared off against a far-leftist of the Hugo Chavez stripe, Ollanta Humala, giving many Peruvians a difficult and loathesome choice.
Garcia wasn't just a bad president; he was probably the worst in Peru's history. During his five years, he drove yearly inflation from double-digits to a high of 12,326%, forcing prices to rise so fast Peruvians hoarded food. He expropriated foreign companies. He defaulted on the national debt. And his indifference to security enabled the fearsome Maoist Shining Path guerrillas to terrorize the countryside, and nearly take over the country.
Humala, on the other hand, was a fresh face, an ex-army officer who led a failed coup in 2000 against Alberto Fujimori's corrupt regime. Although accused of torturing peasants, he appealed to some as a law-and-order, anti-corruption fighter.
Humala had one big problem, however: He was an open ally and imitator of Chavez, happily cavorting in photo-ops with the Venezuelan dictator who was flexing his political muscle throughout the region. And like Chavez's other pawn, Evo Morales of Bolivia, Humala vowed to nationalize foreign companies and rewrite the constitution to hold office for life.
Voters clearly calculated that the risk of economic ruin was less severe than the risk of becoming a permanent Chavez satellite. Bad news for Chavez and Humala, good news for Garcia and Peru.
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
Flores, Garcia, and Humala.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
Well put! Wish I'd thought of that!
As a Peruvian, I pray, like I pray every day for our Beloved President GWB, that Alan Garcia will follow GOD's instruction now that HE has allowed Garcia to be the president of Peru.
Many Christians prayed for this outcome. Now they are praying for Mr. Garcia and for that naturally enriched country.
I hope God listens to your prayers. I have a fondness for Peru (never been there, just always liked it). I hope the country can overcome the forces of marxism that have plagued it in the past.
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