MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Garcia calls Chavez “midget dictator with a big wallet”

Peruvian presidential candidate Alan Garcia called Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez a “midget dictator with a big wallet” who has no respect for democratic procedures, people and “much less countries”.

"Chavez is a midget dictator with a big wallet. In America we've had dictators with no money, but for Chavez it is easy: he manages, only from oil, 70 billion US dollars annually", said Garcia in the presidential run off campaign for Sunday June 4.

Earlier in the day President Chavez during his Sunday program "Hello President" broadcasted from Bolivia said García was a "cheat and a scoundrel", well known for "stealing and demagoguery".

Chavez reiterated this threat that if Garcia, the "candidate of the rich and a pawn of the US empire" becomes president, he will break diplomatic relations with Peru. "God have mercy of Peruvians if the scoundrel of Garcia becomes president", he added.

"Mr. Chavez ignores democratic procedures, has no respect for people, much less countries and is using his country's oil dollars to become a Caribbean petty king".

The Venezuelan leader has called current Peruvian president Alejandro Toledo a "madman" and a "traitor" for having signed a free trade agreement with United States, who will soon be forgotten in "history's dustbin".

It's deplorable that a "coarse language petty tyrant with money should pretend to impose things on us Peruvians and insult us", underlined Mr. Garcia. Chavez is "no communist or nationalist, simply an upstart with money".

Former president Garcia is competing with ultra nationalist candidate Ollanta Humala who has been openly supported by Venezuelan president Chavez.

The latest public opinion poll released Sunday shows Garcia with a strong lead over Humala, 58% to 42%.

The Datum nationwide survey was commissioned by one of Lima's most popular television networks involving 1.125 people of voting age on May25/26.

Humala, a retired Army commander, is strongest in Peru's southern Andes, where he has vowed to lift millions of Peruvians out of poverty, but has struggled to win support in Garcia's stronghold of Lima and northern Peru.

Humala proposes to rewrite contracts with mining and natural gas companies, scrap a free-trade deal with the United States and industrialize production of coca, the basis for cocaine.

Garcia, whose 1985-1990 term ended in economic ruin, is seen by Peru's middle class and investors as the more business-friendly candidate because he has presented himself as a moderate, centrist politician.

But many Peruvians say they are still scarred by the hyperinflation and food shortages of Garcia's first term.

Both candidates are trying to win over the fifth to one-quarter of voters who say they are undecided or will spoil their vote.