Empty Promises

Just a few notes on the presidential elections here in Peru. I was completely mistaken when I mentioned May 7th as the date of the second round - it's actually June 4th. Shame I won't be in Peru to see the outcome, although from what I've heard from people and read in newspapers there won't be any big surprises. The two presidential candidates are ex-president Alan Garcia, whose term in the late 80's had disastrous consequences for the economy and general well-being of the Peruvian people. His opponent is Humala Ollanta, a military general who has most definitely committed a few human rights abuses in his time as a military 'leader'. Go figure... Peruvians have to pick the lesser of two evils. Polls show that Garcia has a huge lead over Ollanta. It wouldn't surprise me if the whole thing was rigged... in the last month I've seen a disproportionately large amount of political propaganda favouring Garcia. Believe me, Peru is a very passionate country when it comes to political matters - every little village, no matter how small or remote, has voiced its opinion in some way or another. Graffiti is everywhere. Whatever the outcome, the future of Peru doesn't look very bright...