Lima, Peru – Peru’s voters were divided and fearful Friday two days ahead of presidential elections, with polls showing support slipping for a retired army officer who promises to wipe away the “fascist dictatorship of the economically powerful.”
The former lieutenant colonel, Ollanta Humala, is backed by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Polls show he’s now tied with Alan Garcia, a moderate leftist whose 1985-90 presidency was marred by rampant corruption and hyperinflation, and Lourdes Flores, a former congresswoman widely perceived as representing the European- descended ruling class.
Different sectors of society each have reason to fear a win by any of the three leading candidates, said Luis Benavente, director of the University of Lima’s polling group.
“These are days of fear. Many people are trembling,” he said.
To some, Humala frightens people because of violent rhetoric expressed by supporters, and Garcia represents an image of a corrupt government and little credibility, Benavente said.
And to some in Peru’s impoverished indigenous and mestizo majority, Flores “represents the rich feeding off the poor who will get poorer,” he said.
Based on the polls, it appears likely that none of the candidates will garner more than 50 percent of the vote today, meaning the top two finishers will face each other in a May runoff.
