PERU: Latest poll shows that right-wing lawmaker Keiko Fujimori and her left-wing rival Ollanta Humala are virtually tied just nine days before the Presidential election
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1531831
PERU: Latest poll shows that right-wing lawmaker Keiko Fujimori and her left-wing rival Ollanta Humala are virtually tied just nine days before the Presidential election
- Title: PERU: Latest poll shows that right-wing lawmaker Keiko Fujimori and her left-wing rival Ollanta Humala are virtually tied just nine days before the Presidential election
- Date: 29th May 2011
- Summary: LIMA, PERU (MAY 27, 2011) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SCENES) (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FERNANDO TUESTA, DIRECTOR OF CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY'S PUBLIC OPINION INSTITUTE, SAYING: "The last poll by Catholic University's Institute of Public Opinion really shows parity in voter intention: 50.3% intend to vote for Keiko Fujimori and 49.7% intend to vote for Ollanta Humala." TUESTA WALKING DOWN THE STREET
- Embargoed: 13th June 2011 03:18
- Keywords:
- Location: Peru, Peru
- Country: Peru
- Topics: Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA5YG40XAHOAG2EKHT0AXI4XQ18
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: Peru's presidential election heated up on Friday (May 27) as the latest poll showed that right-wing lawmaker Keiko Fujimori and her left-wing rival Ollanta Humala were virtually tied just nine days before the June 5 election.
Earlier in the day, Humala thanked former President Alejandro Toledo for throwing the support of his political party, Peru Posible, behind him.
"Alejandro, I appreciate the decision you made yesterday and, as I said permanently, for us, this means an opportunity to win the confidence not just of Peru Posible but of the entire country," the former army officer said.
Toledo had previously likened the decision between Fujimori and Humala to choosing between cancer and Aids, but on Thursday, he clarified that he believed it was critical to defeat Fujimori, whose father, jailed former President Alberto Fujimori, led the Andean nation during the 1990s.
"I think there is a willingness to settle and finally I want to say that the reason for Peru Posible (political party) is precisely to give this support because I don't want to return to the dark past of the 90s," he said.
Meanwhile, environmental protests in the southern region of Puno are intensifying, threatening to hinder fair elections and a final vote count in the area.
As outgoing President Alan Garcia tried to persuade thousands of anti-mining protesters in the southern region of Puno to stop looting buildings and burning cars, Fujimori blamed her opponents for the disturbances.
"It's fundamental that Mr. Ollanta Humala stop egging on his supporters in the Puno region, that he leave his yearn for power aside and think first in the future of our country," she said.
The protesters are demanding the government halt all mining activity in the region because they say it will pollute their agricultural land and water sources.
The Puno region is believed to be an Humala stronghold while Fujimori is firmly backed by the business community and poor women.
Lima's Catholic University revealed on Thursday that its latest poll gave Fujimori 50.3 percent of the vote, while the former army officer Humala had 49.7 percent when null and spoiled ballots were excluded. The mock vote, conducted May 21-23, included 1,800 people nationwide and has a 2.3 percentage point margin of error.
With polls showing that Fujimori's lead is narrowing, she vowed to maintain momentum through the campaign season.
"The polls are fairly even, the election also. We must work up to the last day," she said.
Three other polls released earlier this week by pollsters Ipsos, Datum and CPI gave her a 3-to-5 point lead.
Those survey firms are expected to publish updated polls on Sunday, and if they show the race is tightening financial markets could drop on Monday.
Humala, who is 48-years-old, once led a bloodless insurrection against the elder Fujimori and has been dogged by his past. Polls show half of all voters think his move toward the center is a ploy and that he has not abandoned his radical roots.
Peru's currency, the sol, and stocks plunged after Humala won the first-round vote on April 10, as investors worried he would roll back free-market reforms in the surging economy. He has moderated his once radical tone in a bid to win over centrist voters. Financial asset prices later recovered as Fujimori rose in polls.
Thirty-six-year-old Fujimori is the daughter of jailed former President Alberto Fujimori, who is credited with opening the economy to trade and taming hyperinflation in the 1990s. His government collapsed in a cloud of corruption and human rights scandals in 2000 following a tough crackdown on guerrillas.
Catholic University's Public Opinion Director Fernando Tuesta said Fujimori's slight lead is actually a statistical dead-heat.
"The last poll by Catholic University's Institute of Public Opinion really shows parity in voter intention: 50.3% intend to vote for Keiko Fujimori and 49.7% intend to vote for Ollanta Humala," he said.
The two candidates in the polarized race will face each other in a televised debate on Sunday, which pollsters say will be crucial. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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