PERU-HUMALA/INDEPENDENCE DAY Peru marks 194th independence day anniversary with military parade

Record ID: 146072

  • Title: PERU-HUMALA/INDEPENDENCE DAY Peru marks 194th independence day anniversary with military parade
  • Date: 28th July 2015
  • Summary: LIMA, PERU (JULY 28, 2015) (REUTERS) HUMALA LEAVING CONGRESS
  • Embargoed: 12th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Peru
  • Country: Peru
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA3LBYX90V1KE5IR48029JZ4DD7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Peruvian President Ollanta Humala praised the extent of his government's social policies on Tuesday (July 28) whilst presiding over a military parade to mark the South American nation's Independence Day.
    Humala stood among military officers and the nation's top cabinet as troops passed by.
    Thousands of soldiers participated in the patriotic parade which included tanks, national anti-terrorist police and aircraft.
    This year marks 194 years since Peru won its independence from Spain and comes as Humala struggles with an economic slowdown.
    Humala, a former left-leaning military officer, has continued the orthodox economic policies of his predecessors while emphasizing social programmes for the poor.
    "The goal of my government has been to unite a fragmented country and move forward on closing the exclusion and inequality gaps. In the coming year of the government that we have ahead of us, we are going to continue to make a reality out of the projects Peruvians had hoped for and dreamed of for decades," said Humala on Tuesday.
    "Today Peru is the leader in the management of social issues and in social policy in all of Latin America. Never before in our country has a government had a policy or social programme that reached a level of international quality. We now have two (programmes). Pension 65 and the Grant 18," the president added.
    Pension 65 offers 125 nuevo soles (39 U.S. dollars) per month to over-65-years-olds living in conditions of relative vulnerability and lacking basic conditions, whilst Grant 18 aims to aid access into higher education for the poorest sectors of Peruvian youth.
    Humala's popularity among voters and support within Congress, however, are at their lowest levels in his four-year term, largely due to a weak economy and allegations of corruption against close allies, including his wife.
    In July, Peruvian lawmakers elected an opposition legislator as head of Congress on Sunday in a new but hardly unsurprising defeat for the ruling party.
    Opposition congressman, Mauricio Mulder, said on Tuesday that self-criticism is lacking from the government with significant effects.
    "Speaking the truth, that is the first thing that he missed. He must be able to say something right, some self-criticism at least. The economy is slowing because of him, investments are slowing, he has not said anything about a large investment in infrastructure in our country, just a demagogy of promises," Mulder told reporters.
    He said that Humala had taken advantage of a Constitutional Tribune to spread his lies.
    The Andean nation of over 29 million people had benefited from a consistent mining boom but, according to official statistics, Peru's economy expanded 2.35 percent in 2014, its slowest rate in five years.
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