MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Peru's Humala: “I belong with those downstairs”

With less than a week to the general election Peruvian ultra nationalist presidential candidate Ollanta Humala who leads in the public opinion polls rejected being labelled “left wing” and said that if the press insists in “ideology” identification “I belong with those downstairs”.

"I don't believe in the right wing/left wing confrontation. That ended when the two empires (US and USSR) confrontation was over. What we have now in the world are "globalizing" countries and "globalized" countries", said Humala.

The former Army colonel insisted he represents the "fighting spirit" against neoliberalism which has also extended to other regions of Latinamerica.

"In some cases they call it left wing or socialism, in others indigenous. In Peru we call it nationalism", underlined Humala. "We're looking for an alternative to the neo-liberal model. We want to belong to the Latinamerican family looking for changes", he said adding that in the event of winning he would promote sub-continental integration without excluding countries that might have other "discrepant positions" (Chile).

"The change will come through nationalism" and this proposal is an invitation to the so-called "left wing", to Peruvian businessmen and the "right wing sectors which are suffocating with the neo-liberal model". "We're going to crack the current model. We want bosses and workers to have lunch together in the factories dinning rooms", said Humala who emphasized that the lack of a true democracy is behind the social exclusion and poverty that punishes Peru.

"They've launched a scare campaign against my group. It's a classic fear campaign, but who really are scared are those who fear we'll change the commodities exporting model which has only brought misery, poverty and exclusion to Peru", stressed the former Army colonel.

Some authoritarian attitudes of Mr. Humala and the possibility he might appeal to a nationalist populism have generated great uncertainty in business and investment sectors.

But the latest public opinion surveys have him leading although apparently with not enough votes to win the first round next Sunday April 9 reports the Lima's Sunday press.

According to market survey company CPI, Mr. Humala the "anti-system" candidate has 31.5% and runner up conservative Lourdes Flores, 26.8%.

However compared to the previous Sunday Mr. Humala ceased to grow, actually dropped slightly 0.01%, and Ms. Flores slid 2.3 points. Mr. Humala support is concentrated in Peru's rural areas, where most of the country's poorest and indigenous population lives and Ms Flores is strong in urban areas and particularly the capital Lima.

In third place figures former president and Social-democrat Alan Garcia with 23.1%, 2.5 points more than last Sunday.

With these numbers and tendencies no candidate is forecasted to garner 50% plus one vote next Sunday, therefore the May runoff between the two most voted hopefuls will be decisive.

"The three candidates have chances of making it to the run off", said Manuel Saavedra CPI CEO.

But in May Ms Flores, 46, a bachelor belonging to the Catholic Opus Dei and the darling girl of Wall Street and investors could become Peru's first woman president: she would garner 55.1% against Mr. Humala's 49.7%, according to the latest CPI poll.

If the second round is with Mr. García and Humala, the former president (1985/90), would just manage to win: 50.3% against 49.7%. "This week is crucial to decide who of the two candidates, Flores or García, will finally be competing in the run off with Mr. Humala", said Mr. Saavedra.

The latest CPI poll was done between Mrach 27/31, at national level, interviewing 3.896 people with a margin error of plus/minus 1.6%. CPI's numbers are in line with other opinion polls although the only major difference is Mr. García's advance.

Analysts anticipate that Mr Garcia could still surprise since he's an impassionate speaker and the undecided still represent 12%.

"In the final leg of the campaign the percentage of undecided is significant and could cause some last minute changes", said Mr. Saavedra.

Besides in the previous presidential elections of 2001, Garcia in the last week pushed aside Ms Flores and went to the runoff with then candidate Alejandro Toledo who became president.