MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Garcia to the Peruvian presidential run off May 28

Ultra nationalist leader Ollanta Humala and former president Alan Garcia will be disputing the Peruvian presidential run off next May 28, according to the latest figures from the country's Electoral Process Board, ONPE.

The figures from the April 9 round show Mr. Humala and his Union for Peru party with 30.72% of the votes, followed by Mr. Garcia and his APRA party with 24.33% and Conservative Lourdes Flores with 23.64%.

Even with 2% of the April 9 ballots to count and no official statement from ONPE, Garcia's lead over Lourdes Flores is described as "insurmountable". ONPE is scheduled to make the official announcement Tuesday.

Elected Conservative Congress member Rafael Rey acknowledged that "it's all over. It's impossible for Lourdes to surpass the 83.000 vote difference".

Mr. Garcia, 56, a social democrat, ruled from 1985-90 and was also responsible for leading Peru into one of its worst economic crisis in decades. His administration was wracked by corruption and Garcia himself spent several years in self-exile to avoid prosecution in his homeland.

He has since then become a more stabilizing force in the always turbulent Peruvian politics and in 2000 was defeated in the run off by President Alejandro Toledo.

In claiming victory over Ms Flores, Mr. Garcia predicted he would win the runoff and promised that his next administration would be "broad based, non-sectarian" and respectful of contracts and foreign investment.