Humala lacks support to implement reforms if elected, says political scientist

March 31, 2011 by Andean Air Mail & PERUVIAN TIMES · Leftist presidential candidate Ollanta Humala would be unable to implement many of his reforms if he wins this year’s election, according to political scientist and the former director of the Institute for Peruvian Studies, Julio Cotler. Humala’s reforms, which have raised investors’ eyebrows at home and abroad, would not have the support in Congress to be carried through, Cotler said. Reforms include making changes to the Constitution and increasing the state’s role in Peru’s booming economy. For most of the campaign, Humala has been sitting in fourth place in opinion polls, but a drop in support for other candidates and a re-invented image -from red T-shirts and military fatigues in the 2006 campaign to white T-shirts and a suit and tie this time around – have helped the former military officer and leader of Peru’s Nationalist Party surge to the top spot this week. With less than two weeks before Peruvians go to the polls, Humala has a little more than 20 percent support and a slight lead over four opponents: former president Alejandro Toledo, Congresswoman Keiko Fujimori, ex-prime minister Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and former Lima mayor Luis Castañeda. Humala ran for president in 2006 and narrowly lost to current President Alan Garcia in a run-off vote. During that campaign, he aligned himself closely with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Bolivia’s Evo Morales. In addition to more moderate rhetoric, Humala’s change this campaign has also included distancing himself from Chavez. Nevertheless, opponents have been quick to point out that the two are still allies, especially since Humala has taken the lead in polls. While Humala may have similar aspirations as Chavez and Morales, the Peruvian leftist lacks the popular support of his counterparts to implement any major reforms, said Cotler. “Both Chavez and Morales came to power riding a social movement that gave them the necessary legitimacy to do the transformations that they wanted,” he said. “If Humala makes it in, he will make it with 25% [support].”