Latest Ollanta Humala Stories

By Robin Emmott LIMA, Peru (Reuters) - Peruvians looked set to elect former leader Alan Garcia by a narrow margin in a presidential runoff on Sunday but with almost a tenth of voters undecided, pollsters gave ex-army nationalist Ollanta Humala an outside chance of victory. Following a campaign that included fights, egg-throwing and a shootout between rival supporters, voters must choose between Humala's promises of a revolution for the half of Peru's 27 million people who are poor and...

By Robin Emmott LIMA, Peru (Reuters) - Leftist former President Alan Garcia's advantage over nationalist ex-army commander Ollanta Humala has shrunk, but he is still likely to win Peru's presidential election on Sunday, pollsters said on Friday. A University of Lima poll gave Garcia 55.9 percent of the vote and Humala 44.1 percent, while a CPI poll gave Garcia 53.8 percent and Humala 46.2 percent. A Datum poll gave Garcia 57 percent versus 43 percent for Humala. "Garcia is the big...

Please read in second paragraph ... A University of Lima poll showed Garcia taking 55.9 percent of the vote and Humala 44.1 percent ... instead of ... A University of Lima poll showed Garcia taking 52.4 percent of the vote and Humala 47.6 percent. A corrected story follows: LIMA, Peru (Reuters) - Leftist former President Alan Garcia is seen winning Peru's presidential elections on Sunday, even though his advantage over nationalist former army commander Ollanta Humala has shrunk,...

LIMA, Peru (Reuters) - Leftist former President Alan Garcia is seen winning Peru's presidential election on Sunday, even though his advantage over nationalist former army commander Ollanta Humala has shrunk, pollsters said on Friday. A University of Lima poll showed Garcia taking 55.9 percent of the vote and Humala 44.1 percent while a CPI poll gave Garcia 53.8 percent and Humala 46.2 percent. Pollsters met with members of the foreign press on Friday to distribute their latest numbers,...

By Fiona Ortiz LIMA, Peru (Reuters) - Peru should not let itself fall behind its neighbors by adopting extremist ideologies, leading presidential candidate Alan Garcia told more than 20,000 supporters at a rally closing his campaign before Sunday's vote. In a huge downtown square under Lima's imposing Palace of Justice building, the former president paced a stage draped in his party's red-and-white colors during a 75 minute improvised speech Thursday night in which he said Peru must...

By Bernd Debusmann, Special Correspondent LA PAZ, Bolivia (Reuters) - Bolivia's President Evo Morales calls him "my brother" but elsewhere in Latin America, political leaders are finding out that being seen as a close ally of Hugo Chavez can be harmful for their careers. As a tripartite alliance between Bolivia, Venezuela and Cuba began taking shape after Morales took office in January, there have been signs of irritation in the rest of the continent with the way the Venezuelan leader...

By Robin Emmott LIMA, Peru (Reuters) - A nationalist pledging revolution for the poor and an ex-president promising to atone for economic ruin in his first term vie for Peru's presidency on Sunday in an election many analysts say is too close too call. A weekend survey by Peru's most respected pollster Apoyo showed former President Alan Garcia beating ex-army commander Ollanta Humala by 55 percent to 45 percent. But a simulation vote by Apoyo, in which voters' preferences were secret,...

By Robin Emmott and Maria Luisa Palomino LIMA, Peru (Reuters) - Ex-President Alan Garcia held a strong lead over his nationalist rival Ollanta Humala in the race for Peru's presidency a week before the runoff, but undecided voters could still alter the result, two polls showed on Sunday. An Apoyo survey commissioned by conservative newspaper El Comercio showed Garcia would receive 55 percent of votes in the June 4 runoff, compared to 45 percent for Humala. That was a one-percentage...

By Robin Emmott PISCO, Peru (Reuters) - Alan Garcia, who left Peru economically ruined when he led the country two decades ago, is now ahead in polls for the June presidential runoff but is still fighting hard to convince voters he wants "responsible change." Canvassing for votes along Peru's southern coast, Garcia pledged to renegotiate Peru's recently signed free-trade accord with the United States to benefit farmers, offered credit for the region's depressed industries and said he...

LIMA, Peru (Reuters) - Retired army commander Ollanta Humala, who is trailing ex-President Alan Garcia in voter opinion polls, won a weekend presidential debate for which he was late and delayed its start, polls said on Monday. Fifty-three percent of Peruvians who watched the debate said Humala won and 47 percent said Garcia was the victor, according to an Internet survey by Peru's leading newspaper El Comercio that polled 4,400 people. Polls by nationwide radio stations RPP and CPN...