Ex-army officer with a dark past tops poll in Peru

Ollanta Humala, a maverick former army officer promising to put a stop to rule by powerful elites seemed just the ticket. Despite a murky past, including allegations of human rights abuses as a military commander a decade ago, Mr Humala's candidacy has gone from strength to strength and he is now the man to beat in Sunday's election. But his tough talk and nationalistic ideas send shivers through many Peruvians and investors, who fear he is a dictator in disguise.

Mr Humala, 42, sports a red "Love for Peru" T-shirt on the campaign trail, where he reminisces about his days in the army and the need for moral values. He thumps out a message akin to Hugo Chavez's recipes for social revolution in Venezuela or Evo Morales' pledges to share Bolivia's mineral riches with the people.

Mr Humala's vow to raise taxes on the foreign energy and mining companies whose output is the backbone of Peru's economy, industrialise production of the coca leaf in what is already the world's second-biggest cocaine producer, and scrap a draft US free-trade agreement that some farmers fear will ruin them, have struck a chord with ordinary people in a country where half the population scrapes a living on barely more than a dollar a day.

"What we've got now is a dictatorship, but of the rich. What we want is equal conditions," said Aristides Ferrer, a 48-year-old lawyer with a red "Ollanta" headband at Mr Humala's final rally in Lima before the vote.

Despite a government plan that is thin on detail, the latest poll yesterday put Mr Humala comfortably ahead with pro-business lawyer Lourdes Flores in a statistical tie for second place with former President Alan Garcia. However, few bet on Mr Humala winning more than the 50 per cent support required to avoid a run-off in May and even if he does eventually win, he would be likely to face a deeply divided Congress.

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http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article356269.ece