The leader in the April 9 election for president of Peru was Ollanta Humala, a former army colonel who was backed by leaders Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and Evo Morales of Bolivia. Humala led an unsuccessful coup attempt in 2000 against President Alberto Fujimori, who was later impeached. He is a populist who promises to help the poor, and a nationalist who wants to expropriate businesses that were privatized under the previous regime of Alejandro Toledo. As of April 15, with 88% of the vote counted, second place was still too close to call between former president Alan Garcia and conservative Lourdes Flores. Because no one got over 50%, there will be a runoff between the two top vote-getters in mid-May. A commentator on Indymedia Peru said: "The old practice of corruption which is the fruit of the centralization of power will not be changed by any president, despite how the illustrious orators paint themselves as messiahs to the beat of reggaeton."
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