Peru: Toward Elections, Former President Toledo Leads In Polls
By MISNA
While Peruvia President Alan Garcia’s popularity has taken a nose dive – about 26% five months before the end of his mandate – former President Alejandro Toledo is maintaining his advantage in the voters’ preferences in view of the April 10 election.
At least eight electoral points now separate the 64-year old Toledo, aka ‘El Cholo’ (mixed) from his closet rival, Keiko Fujimori, who is followed in turn by Luiis Castañeda (17%), Ollanta Humala (14%) and Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (6%).
Toledo, who has been traveling over the past few days in the northern areas of the country, where there is a lack of hospitals, roads and other basic services, is running again for the presidency claiming to be wanting to finish the social reforms that have remained pending after his first government (2001-2006), in a country where poverty affects at least 34% of some 30 million inhabitants.
To do this, Toledo intends to increase taxes from a standard 15 to 19%, establishing new taxes for mining companies (though without modifying contracts) and force SUNAT, the national Tax Oversight Authority, to cover the debt that is now estimated to be some 14 billion New Soles (USD 5 billion).
