NO SURPRISES AS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES HOLD THEIR

UNCLAS LIMA 002197 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PINR PE SUBJECT: NO SURPRISES AS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES HOLD THEIR CAMPAIGN CLOSING RALLIES REF: A. LIMA 2165 ¶B. LIMA 2110 ¶1. SUMMARY: There were no surprises as APRA's Alan Garcia and Union por el Peru's (UPP) Ollanta Humala held large rallies on 6/1, the final day for campaigning before the 6/4 run-off election. Garcia addressed an estimated 25,000 supporters in central Lima, promising "responsible change" and an inclusive government, providing assurances that he learned from the mistakes of his 1985-90 presidency, and warning that Humala represented a return to "right-wing militarism." Humala, who drew an estimated 10,000 followers to a 5/31 rally in a poor Lima suburb, held his final gathering on 6/1 before some 6,000 faithful in Cuzco. He promised to implement a "great transformation" in politics, starting with a new Constitution, criticized Garcia's prior government, and accused the APRA candidate of being in league with ex-President Alberto Fujimori's former spymaster Vladimiro Montesinos. END SUMMARY. ¶2. Garcia's rally attracted what the National Police estimated as 25,000 people to the Naval Heroes Plaza that fronts the Sheraton Hotel and Palace of Justice in downtown Lima. Garcia continued his attacks on Humala painting him as a militarist option and a return to old, failed policies of the past in contrast to Garcia's promotion of "responsible change." The APRA leader was careful to acknowledge the failures of his previous presidency, promising this time to provide a solid, stable economy without the waiting lines for basic necessities that many older voters associate with his administration. He emphasized his six government themes: patriotism, democracy, an end to politics-as-usual, creation of jobs, labor rights, and social rights, and reiterated specific campaign promises: cutting GOP salaries in half; reducing fees for electricity, telephone, and natural gas; bringing water to 500,000 Lima residents, and reducing officials' travel and expenses. Appealing to anti-Chilean sentiment, he pledged to take advantage of Peru's natural resources and convert Peru into a country more developed than its neighbor to the south. ¶3. Humala closed out his campaign in Cuzco's main plaza with a crowd estimated by the National Police at 6,000. His final Lima rally, held the day before in the poor suburb of San Juan de Lurigancho, attracted some 10,000 supporters. At both rallies Humala hammered on the failings of Garcia's previous presidency and accused Garcia of having a pact with former Fujimori spy chief Montesinos. Humala continued his calls for a new Constitution and emphasized his plan for a "great transformation" that would abandon the "current neo-liberal economic model" and redistribute the country's wealth. He also pledged a "national crusade against corruption" starting with an audit of the regional governments, as well as jail time for regional officials found to have robbed money. (Note: A plurality of regional presidents are from Garcia's APRA party. End note.) In his Cuzco speech Humala asked those gathered not to get caught-up in violence on election day. ¶4. Humala held a press conference on 6/1, where he read a letter to Interior Minister Romulo Pizarro complaining about violent actions against his party and the slow pace of the investigation into the Cuzco confrontation which left two UPP supporters and a bystander injured (Ref B). In Cuzco, Humala visited one of the UPP local party leaders who was injured. Hundreds of National Police provided protection to Humala's motorcade as he traveled through Cuzco and there were no reports of violence associated with the motorcade or the rally. ¶5. Garcia, on 6/1, received endorsements from first-round losers Humberto Lay Sun and his evangelical National Restoration party, as well as from Martha Chavez of the pro-Fujimori Alliance for the Future. Chavez, however, was careful to note that her endorsement was personal, and not on behalf of the Fujimorista movement as a whole. ¶6. COMMENT: The presidential candidates offered no/no surprises in their closing rallies, with both Garcia and Humala repeating the main points of their respective campaigns and taking the usual swipes at each other. The choice of the country's next leader now falls to the Peruvian public. END COMMENT. STRUBLE