MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Major setback for García in Peruvian regional elections

Peruvian president Alan García suffered Sunday a major setback in regional and municipal elections with his APRA party loosing control of most regions replaced in many cases by autonomous political movements according to the latest electoral results.

In Lima the capital, where over 35% of the country's electorate is concentrated Luis Castañeda from the opposition Conservative National Unity party was comfortably re-elected with almost 50% of the vote.

According to primary results independent autonomous political groupings could have won in 17 of Peru's 25 regions, which means APRA lost at least ten of the twelve it controlled.

Another big looser of Sunday's regional elections is former populist presidential candidate Ollanta Humala and his Peruvian nationalist party which only managed to take control of a small tropical forest region bordering with Brazil and the town hall of Arequipa, but was unable to consolidate the south where most of his presidential votes were concentrated.

President Alan Garcia congratulated mayor Castañeda and former presidential candidate Lourdes Flores who has turned up as the main opposition force.

"I don't believe a national government needs to control all regions or a majority in Congress to rule. On the contrary if forces the Executive to be sharp, intelligent, share power and responsibilities", said President García.

However analysts point to the fact that the political map shows a deep split between the capital Lima and the rest of the country, most of it very poor and dependent on the big mining companies which are also the country's main exports.

The ruling party's defeat could have also reached the city of Trujillo, historical stronghold of APRA which it has dominated since 1963 and birth place of Victor Raul Haya de la Torre a legendary figure and founder of the party.

But in spite of the setback and having lost at least ten regional governments, APRA chairman Wilber Bendezu Carpio said that the party has managed to retain its "historic percentage".

"We admit problems and mistakes but APRA as a party has retained its historic percentage", said Benedezu.