The Peruvian Elections: A Step Toward Democracy

 
Peruvians voted for president on April 8 in a contest that contrasted sharply with last year's elections. According to the Peruvian newspaper La República, "these were clean elections; millions of Peruvians rejected the Fujimori decade with their ballots." El Comercio reported that "unlike the year before, this time there was no fear of election fraud, thanks to electoral authorities that operated free of political manipulation. Citizens participated en masse in a transparent exercise of democracy." The head of the OAS observer mission in Peru, Eduardo Stein, praised the peaceful civic atmosphere and noted that the elections "were totally unlike those in the past, which were neither free nor transparent."

With 97% of the votes counted, Alejandro Toledo was leading with 36.54%, followed by Alan García (25.79%) and Lourdes Flores (24.26%). Toledo and García will face off in a second round of voting in May to determine which of the two will become Peru's next president.

García's performance came as a surprise to most observers. Back in the country only since late January, after years of unpopularity and self-imposed exile in Colombia and France, the former president quickly gained support. According to political analyst Pedro Salinas, García took advantage of bickering between Toledo and Flores. He stayed aloof from the fighting, making public appearances characterized by "moderate rhetoric and his customary eloquence and persuasiveness."

Others attributed García's success to the votes that Flores lost to Fernando Olivera, the candidate of the Independent Morality Front (FIM). Olivera and Flores split their votes, allowing García to make it to the second round.

Whatever the final results turn out to be, Peru took a big step toward rebuilding its democratic system of government on April 8. The voting reflected not only the absence of intimidation, but also the widespread exercise of political freedoms. To recover from the crisis brought about by the corruption of the last regime, Peru must adopt a new way of understanding and engaging in politics. The transformation will require the effort and commitment of all of its citizens.