A Plurality Loses the Vote in Peru and Faces a Tough Choice
A Plurality Loses the Vote in Peru and Faces a Tough Choice
The combined vote of Peru’s two first-round winners only totaled 54 percent. Now Humala and Fujimori have to fight to expand their vote share.
Peruvians are bracing themselves for one of the most divisive presidential campaigns in recent history, with nationalist Ollanta Humala set to face off against right-wing Keiko Fujimori on June 5.
The former colonel, who once led a coup against the corrupt administration of Ms. Fujimori’s father Alberto, has garnered 31 percent of the vote with 85 percent counted.
Ms. Fujimori has about 23 percent of the vote.
Both candidates appeal to the 35 percent of Peruvians who still live in poverty, and their success in the first round is a testament to the deep vein of dissatisfaction that runs through lower socioeconomic sectors who feel shut out of Peru’s “economic miracle.”
Access the full story at AmericasQuarterly.org.
Naomi Mapstone is the Andean correspondent for the Financial Times, based in Lima, Peru. Formerly the FT's deputy U.S. news editor, she now divides her time between Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, and Ecuador.
