Peru will go to the polls on April 9 in a hotly contested presidential race. Leading pre-election polls is Ollanta Humala, from the Union for Peru Party, a former army officer who led a rebellion against former president Alberto Fujimori in 2000. Humala describes himself as revolutionary and has spoken out against neoliberalism and corruption and for better health and education in a country where 40% of the population live in extreme poverty. Described by some as the “Peruvian Hugo Chavez”, Humala is an advocate of regional integration and cites Chavez, Cuban President Fidel Castro and Bolivian President Evo Morales as among his friends. The two other leading presidential contenders are the pro-business Lourdes Flores from the National Unity Alliance and former president Alan Garcia from the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance. If no candidate wins 50% of the vote, a second round run-off between the top two candidates will take place.

From Green Left Weekly, April 12, 2006.
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