Peru votes in tight three-way race

More than 16 million registered voters will take part in an election on Sunday that is a contest between a nationalist former general, a centre-left former president and a conservative lawyer seeking to be the country's first female leader.

A final opinion poll on Saturday showed that the former army commander, Ollanta Humala, with 27% of the vote, held a slight lead over Alan Garcia, the former president, who had drawn level in second with the candidate seen as most pro-business, Lourdes Flores, with 23% each.

None of the three front-runners nor the 17 other candidates running is expected to achieve the 50% support needed for outright victory in the first round, meaning the top two will face a run-off in late May or early June.

Chavez fan

Humala has led a direct and outspoken campaign that has tapped into discontent among Peru's poor majority.

He led a failed coup in 2000, months before the 10-year rule of Alberto Fujimori, the former president, collapsed and is an admirer of Peru's 1968-75 left-wing dictatorship of General Juan Velasco as well as Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez.

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