MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Awesome task in Peru.

Peru will be voting Sunday April 8th. for a new President and Congress, a crucial step towards the democratic normalisation of a country that was ruled for almost a decade by iron fisted president Alberto Fujimori with the strong support of the security forces.

According to the latest opinion polls, Alejandro Toledo is leading with almost 38% of vote intent, followed in a close race by Luordes Flores and Alan García, each of them with 22/24%. Polls also indicate 25% of the electorate remain undecided. Mr. Toledo, 55, is an Indian, Harvard educated economist who is considered centre left and last year frustrated Mr. Fujimori's attempt to a third mandate by claiming elections were a fraud. His claim was supported by United States, European Union and the Organisation of American States, forcing Mr. Fujimori to abandon Peru and take refuge in Japan, where he's currently living as a Japanese citizen. In a country were over 65% of the population is Indian, "cholos", Mr. Toledo is the most popular candidate because of his Indian, almost 100%, ancestry. Posters show him as the Sun king direct descendent of the Inca empire. Attorney Ms. Lourdes Flores, 42, is single, closely linked to the Catholic organisation Opus Dei, and has been in politics since she was 18, twice in Congress. However she is accused of having in her group several former Fujimori Congressmen and cronies. Finally Mr. Alan García is a former president, supported by Peru's most populist and historic party, Apra, for decades the leading political force. But the poor record of Mr. García's his five year term and corruption claims, actually prepared the country for the authoritarian regime of Mr. Fujimori. All analysts agree that the real struggle is between Ms. Flores and Mr. García, who will then have to run against Mr. Toledo in a second and final round, in a date yet to be agreed. However, who ever becomes Peru's next president will be faced with a stagnant economy, mounting foreign debt, growing social unrest, unfulfilled promises of jobs, (top concern among Peruvians) and a split Congress; plus the legacy of a strong man that defeated "Shinning Path", one of the world's bloodiest fundamentalist guerrillas and brought stability to the country, albeit with a dreadful human rights record. Besides, Mr. Fujimori and his right hand man and Intelligence chief, Vladimiro Montesinos, ruled with a corruption system that infiltrated all branches of government, including the powerful Armed Fo