April 21, 2005: Headlines: Figures: COS - Peru: Politics: Alert Net: Peru's President Alejandro Toledo has failed to fulfill lavish promises, been involved in corruption scandals, faced street protests, been branded a liar and seen his popularity plummet in his four years in office. Yet he has managed to stay in power while leaders in neighbors Ecuador and Bolivia have been forced to go -- like Lucio Gutierrez, fired by Congress in Quito on Wednesday
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April 21, 2005: Headlines: Figures: COS - Peru: Politics: Alert Net: Peru's President Alejandro Toledo has failed to fulfill lavish promises, been involved in corruption scandals, faced street protests, been branded a liar and seen his popularity plummet in his four years in office. Yet he has managed to stay in power while leaders in neighbors Ecuador and Bolivia have been forced to go -- like Lucio Gutierrez, fired by Congress in Quito on Wednesday
Peru's President Alejandro Toledo has failed to fulfill lavish promises, been involved in corruption scandals, faced street protests, been branded a liar and seen his popularity plummet in his four years in office. Yet he has managed to stay in power while leaders in neighbors Ecuador and Bolivia have been forced to go -- like Lucio Gutierrez, fired by Congress in Quito on Wednesday
Peru's President Alejandro Toledo has failed to fulfill lavish promises, been involved in corruption scandals, faced street protests, been branded a liar and seen his popularity plummet in his four years in office. Yet he has managed to stay in power while leaders in neighbors Ecuador and Bolivia have been forced to go -- like Lucio Gutierrez, fired by Congress in Quito on Wednesday
Peru's Toledo clings on, despite crises next door
21 Apr 2005 20:00:27 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Jude Webber
LIMA, Peru, April 21 (Reuters) - Peru's President Alejandro Toledo has failed to fulfill lavish promises, been involved in corruption scandals, faced street protests, been branded a liar and seen his popularity plummet in his four years in office.
Yet he has managed to stay in power while leaders in neighbors Ecuador and Bolivia have been forced to go -- like Lucio Gutierrez, fired by Congress in Quito on Wednesday.
Toledo is likely to buck an Andean trend by staying in office to the end of his term, political analysts say.
A weak and divided opposition, fears his removal could hit the economy and memories of political turbulence in the 1990s under President Alberto Fujimori have all contributed to Peruvians sticking with their fragile democracy -- and their unpopular leader.
"Peru's government has given people more than enough reasons for revolt," said political analyst Ernesto Velit.
"Indeed there have been protests, road blocks, marches by farmers, growers of coca (the raw material for cocaine, of which Peru is the world's No. 2 producer), teachers, doctors, civil servants ... But a sense of democracy has prevailed," he added.
Toledo led street protests that helped topple Fujimori, Peru's hardline ruler from 1990 to 2000, but he failed to meet big pledges of jobs and prosperity for over half the population living on $1.25 a day.
Denials about a daughter outside marriage whom he was later forced to acknowledge; a string of scandals that cost seven ministers their jobs and exposed a top aide apparently trying to buy off judges; and allegations he was involved in electoral fraud, have further made mincemeat of Toledo's credibility.
His approval rating is now 8 percent.
With Gutierrez's ouster, Ecuador has had seven presidents in eight years and Bolivia averages nearly a leader a year in its 180-odd years of independence.
In Bolivia, indigenous-led protests over the fate of huge energy reserves felled President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada in 2003 and nearly led his successor to quit last month.
But Peru's Indians -- a powerful bloc in both Andean neighbors -- are nowhere near as well organized.
Political columnist Mirko Lauer said people feared ousting Toledo would send the economy "to hell" or allow either Fujimori or leftist rebels who terrorized Peru in the 1980s and 1990s to return in the political vacuum.
DON'T ROCK THE BOAT
Toledo has defended democracy by keeping out of the courts and the military -- all in the government's pay under Fujimori. Gutierrez was fired for meddling in the Supreme Court.
"Peruvians in general have a notion of what institutions are and defend them," Lauer said.
With the economy booming, many also see no point in ousting Toledo because upsetting the constitutional order would hurt growth and investment.
Furthermore, Peru's political parties are in disarray. Toledo has no heir from his own ranks and his vice president was forced to quit in an influence peddling scandal.
Alan Garcia, head of the main opposition party, presided over a debt default, bank nationalization and 7,600 percent inflation in the 1980s, and many say they will never trust him again.
Fujimori still has a core following and has vowed to return from Japan to run in 2006 elections. But he is wanted on murder and corruption charges and most Peruvians say they would never vote for him.
"It's not luck (that Toledo survives)," said commentator Santiago Pedraglio.
"Despite the weakness of the political parties, they have a big interest in supporting the political regime," he added.
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By Anonymous (parax27-b036.dialup.optusnet.com.au - 211.29.246.36) on Wednesday, August 24, 2005 - 3:07 am: Edit Post |
i would like to say some words to the president to peru.
my parents are peruven and they came to australia so i could live a long good happy and peacefull life unlike any country australia is a christain country which cares for its people and loves and respects, plus keep thier promises i ask you mr presindent would you like someone promising you a good wonderful life then not recieving it because the person who promised that is selfish and wants everything to himself.
if god was standing write infront of you do you think he will let you in the gates of heaven?
you may not know this but i want to become a lawyer when i grow up. do you think that is possible in peru ? do you? do you?
you may be wondering whyi am writing this letter well let my tell you my grandma has suffered a lot when she was since she her parents had died and had no-one to go to. Why do you let your heart cope with that i dont care if it was the other president . or you. i am just saying if you want a goog coun try you have to start changing first
you see my mother never told me this or ever will because i am grown up unlike you your a child and need people what to tell you what to do . i wouldn't like that but thta will never happened to me you know why because i think about others and not myself unlike some people
if you don't know english i hope it gets translated in spainsh . well one more question would you like yoour children to suffer like this.
one more thing poverty in peru is a big issue and the only that can fix it is you, unfortunently. i advise you from someone you don't know walk around peru and ask yourself would i be happy living like this and did you like the waty the president was running in peru YES? NO? whoes knows if you dont make a change if you do you must be crazy. walk on the streets of peru and help people and experince the suffering of the peopel how sad it will be to live that way. you know what i thank God mostly about is that my parents studied and tried their best to give me and my famuily a better future and they of course have succeeded.
you may think i'm crazy but just let my tell you this i wouldn't want to live like that .
yours sincerely anonymous.
|
By Anonymous (parax27-b036.dialup.optusnet.com.au - 211.29.246.36) on Wednesday, August 24, 2005 - 3:06 am: Edit Post |
i would like to say some words to the president to peru.
my parents are peruven and they came to australia so i could live a long good happy and peacefull life unlike any country australia is a christain country which cares for its people and loves and respects, plus keep thier promises i ask you mr presindent would you like someone promising you a good wonderful life then not recieving it because the person who promised that is selfish and wants everything to himself.
if god was standing write infront of you do you think he will let you in the gates of heaven?
you may not know this but i want to become a lawyer when i grow up. do you think that is possible in peru ? do you? do you?
you may be wondering whyi am writing this letter well let my tell you my grandma has suffered a lot when she was since she her parents had died and had no-one to go to. Why do you let your heart cope with that i dont care if it was the other president . or you. i am just saying if you want a goog coun try you have to start changing first
you see my mother never told me this or ever will because i am grown up unlike you your a child and need people what to tell you what to do . i wouldn't like that but thta will never happened to me you know why because i think about others and not myself unlike some people
if you don't know english i hope it gets translated in spainsh . well one more question would you like yoour children to suffer like this.
one more thing poverty in peru is a big issue and the only that can fix it is you, unfortunently. i advise you from someone you don't know walk around peru and ask yourself would i be happy living like this and did you like the waty the president was running in peru YES? NO? whoes knows if you dont make a change if you do you must be crazy. walk on the streets of peru and help people and experince the suffering of the peopel how sad it will be to live that way. you know what i thank God mostly about is that my parents studied and tried their best to give me and my famuily a better future and they of course have succeeded.
you may think i'm crazy but just let my tell you this i wouldn't want to live like that .
yours sincerely anonymous.
