Robert Kozak and Matt Moffett wrote a worthwhile Wall Street Journal article Garcia's Second Chance in Peru (subscription required) that discusses Alan Garcia, one of the two leading candidates in Peru's upcoming election.
LIMA, Peru -- Alan García, who presided over an economic disaster as Peru's youthful leftist president during the 1980s, is now living one of the stranger second acts in Latin American political history. As Peru enjoys a surge in economic growth, an older and seemingly more moderate Mr. García has emerged as the front-running candidate in next month's presidential election precisely because he's seen as a bulwark against another young, leftist radical, Ollanta Humala.
Mr. García, 56 years old, who just barely qualified for the June 4 runoff after a hard-fought first round in April, has charged ahead in the polls by recasting himself as a moderate and tying Mr. Humala, 43, to the region's fiery populist leaders, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Bolivia's Evo Morales. To many in Latin America's middle class, Messrs. Chavez and Morales have increasingly become symbols of the bad old days of runaway inflation and confrontational politics.
During his first term as president, Mr. Garcia battled with the International Monetary Fund. Now, he says that his government would make only minor changes to the market-oriented policies that have made Peru one of the fastest-growing emerging economies, and that he could even cut a deal with the IMF.
If Gracia is able to defeat Humala, then Peru's economy should continue to do well. Those who read my blog know my concerns surrounding Evo Morales and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. I am pleased to see that some leaders are weary of the leftist policies adopted by Venezuela and Bolivia. We will just have to wait and see if current trends are followed through on election day.
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