Polls give Humala lead in Peru race

With six weeks to go before the second round of Peru's presidential elections the latest opinion poll shows leftist nationalist candidate Ollanta Humala in the lead with 42-percent support. Sunday's Ipsos Apoyo poll is the first since the initial round of voting on April 10. Ollanta's rival in the second round is right-wing populist Congresswoman Keiko Fujimori, who has 36 percent support.

The poll also showed that 12 percent of people would hand in blank votes, a manner of protest in Peru where voting is obligatory. Ten percent of voters said they remained undecided.

Fujimori, the 35-year-old daughter of now-jailed former President Alberto Fujimori, was expected to garner support from right-wing candidates who were beaten in the first round, but there is still a fear among voters and many in the establishment that she could repeat her father's dictatorial ways.

Alberto Fujimori is currently serving a 25-year-prison sentence for human rights abuses during his term.

The poll, which asked voters what their biggest doubts over the two candidates were, showed 68 percent believing Keiko Fujimori would use her presidential powers to grant her father an amnesty. In Humala's case, 39 percent believe he might try to stay in power for more than the legal five-year term, while 48 percent believed his current presidential campaign was financed by Hugo Chávez. Humala has sought to distance himself from the Venezuelan President.

During Humala's first run for president in 2006, which he narrowly lost to outgoing leader Alan García, Chávez threw his support behind the former army officer. But this time round Humala has preferred to model himself more along the moderate leftist lines of Brazil's popular former president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Commenting on Sunday's poll results, Ipsos Apoyo director Alfredo Torres said it showed a narrowing of popularity between the two candidates, from eight points difference in the first round vote to six points.

Analysts say the race between the pair could polarize the country. But the two candidates have tried to reassure voters of their wider appeal. Peru is enjoying an economic boom and both candidates have focused on how to maintain growth while tackling widespread poverty. Humala has said he would uphold concessions given to private companies and respect the independence of Peru's central bank if elected.

Speaking on Peruvian radio, Humala said he wanted to take his cues from Brazil's economic program. "We recognize there is a successful process underway in Brazil, which has accomplished economic growth that combines social inclusion with respect for macroeconomic equilibrium," he said.

Keiko Fujimori says she wants to continue her father's legacy in a country where Alberto Fujimori is still respected by many for fighting the country's Shining Path guerrillas and putting an end to hyper-inflation. Fujimori has defended her father's record, saying that he laid the basis for Peru's current economic boom. She has promised to follow the economic model he introduced, while improving social programs.