Leftist Ollanta Humala, a former member of the military, forty-eight years old, claimed victory in the Peruvian presidential election in a square in downtown Lima, in front of thousands of followers who waited for him for hours.
Leftist Ollanta Humala, a former member of the military, forty-eight years old, claimed victory in the Peruvian presidential election in a square in downtown Lima, in front of thousands of followers who waited for him for hours.
“The results that have been issued, the quick counts show us that we’ve arrived successfully and that we’ve won the elections in Peru,” the candidate said, in front of a multitude who applauded him enthusiastically.
Humala promised that he “will continue with economic growth, and that this growth will be the great motor of the country’s social development,” at the same time that he proposed a government of national unity.
Humala’s supporters experienced moments of anxiety after the first official bulletin showed a closer result than did four quick counts of the voting that identified him as the winner.
Nevertheless, Fernando Tuesta, director of the Catholic University’s Opinion Institute, judged that Humala’s small lead did not mean that his triumph was in danger.
“Some results from the north and Lima (where Keiko has more support) have very high numbers, but the departments where Humala has more votes are lacking. The official results will gradually move closer to what the quick counts indicated,” Tuesta said.
“Based on our experience, the probability that the quick counts are mistaken is very remote; what’s expected is that the results will move closer to the quick count,” he added.
According to four quick counts, Humala won by a margin of between 2 and 4.4 percentage points.
The director of the Ipsos-Apoyo consulting firm, Alfredo Torres, said that “this result is irreversible.”
If Humala’s triumph is confirmed, it would be the first time the left has returned to power since the military regime of Juan Velasco Alvarado (1968-1975).