(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Keiko Sofía Fujimori, the daughter of convicted former president Alberto Fujimori, remains a favourite candidate in the early stages of Peru’s presidential race, according to a poll by Ipsos, Apoyo, Opinión y Mercado published in El Comercio. 20 per cent of respondents would vote for Keiko Fujimori of Strength 2011 in next year’s ballot, down two points since July.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Keiko Sofía Fujimori, the daughter of convicted former president Alberto Fujimori, remains a favourite candidate in the early stages of Peru’s presidential race, according to a poll by Ipsos, Apoyo, Opinión y Mercado published in El Comercio. 20 per cent of respondents would vote for Keiko Fujimori of Strength 2011 in next year’s ballot, down two points since July.
Lima mayor Luis Castañeda Lossio of the National Solidarity Party (PSN) is tied for first place also with 20 per cent. Former president Alejandro Toledo is third with 14 per cent, followed by Ollanta Humala of the Peruvian Nationalist Party (PNP) with 12 per cent. Support is lower for television personality and writer Jaime Bayly, congresswoman Lourdes Alcorta of the Popular Christian Party (PPC), former economy minister Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, current prime minister Javier Velásquez, and Trujillo city mayor César Acuña.
In June 2006, Alan García—a member of American Revolutionary People’s Alliance (APRA)—won Peru’s presidential election in a run-off against Humala. In July, García officially took over as president. He had previously served as Peru’s head of state from 1985 to 1990, when he oversaw a major economic crisis.
In April 2009, Alberto Fujimori was found guilty "beyond all reasonable doubt" of four charges laid against him—including misuse of public funds, kidnapping and murder—and sentenced to serve 25 years in prison. In September, Fujimori was handed a new six-year sentence, this time for corruption. Keiko Fujimori has said she will grant her father a pardon if elected.
Vladimiro Montesinos, Fujimori’s closest advisor and the head of Peru’s National Intelligence Service (SIN) during his decade-long tenure, has been convicted in 13 different trials for crimes such as plotting against national security, arms dealing and embezzlement. He is currently serving a 20-year sentence in Peru and awaiting a verdict on other 50 or so processes against him.
Montesinos has declared that Keiko Fujimori’s college tuition was paid with funds coming from the SIN. Although this claim has been previously deemed as insufficient evidence to pursue an investigation against the presidential candidate, prosecutor Gladyz Echaiz decided to reopen the case earlier this month
Prime minister Velásquez publicly condemned Echaiz’s decision, declaring, "If they want to investigate, why don’t they wait until elections are over? I don’t want to question Echaiz, but I see this as an excess."
The next presidential and congressional elections are scheduled for Apr. 10, 2011. If no presidential candidate garners more than 50 per cent of all cast ballots in the first round, a run-off between the top two vote-getters must take place.
Polling Data
If the 2011 presidential election were held tomorrow, who would you vote for?
|
|
Aug. 2010
|
Jul. 2010
|
Jun. 2010
|
|
Keiko Sofía Fujimori
|
20%
|
22%
|
22%
|
|
Luis Castañeda Lossio
|
20%
|
20%
|
21%
|
|
Alejandro Toledo
|
14%
|
14%
|
12%
|
|
Ollanta Humala
|
12%
|
12%
|
13%
|
|
Jaime Bayly
|
4%
|
4%
|
4%
|
|
Lourdes Alcorta
|
2%
|
n.a
|
n.a.
|
|
Pedro Pablo Kuczynski
|
2%
|
2%
|
2%
|
|
Javier Velásquez
|
2%
|
–
|
3%
|
|
César Acuña
|
2%
|
–
|
–
|
|
Other / Blank / Undecided
|
22%
|
22%
|
23%
|
|
Mercedes Aráoz
|
n.a.
|
4%
|
3%
|
Source: Ipsos, Apoyo, Opinión y Mercado / El Comercio
Methodology: Interviews with 1,200 Peruvian adults, conducted from Aug. 11 and Aug. 13, 2010. Margin of error is 2.8 per cent.
