Peru held its first round of presidential elections last weekend as the country begins to emerge from the shambles bequeathed by former President Alberto Fujimori. With left-of-center front-runner Alejandro Toledo unable to claim outright victory, a second round will be held in either May or June.
Peruvians are practiced voters. A year ago, they went to the polls and Mr. Fujimori won a third term in an election that was widely condemned as fraudulent. When Mr. Vladimiro Montesinos, his shadowy intelligence chief and right-hand man, was shown bribing opposition politicians on national television, Mr. Fujimori was forced to step down.
Mr. Toledo, who claims to have won last year's vote, was a favorite to win this election as well. He did, but Mr. Alan Garcia, who virtually ran the country into the ground during his presidency from 1985-1990, returned from nine years of exile in Colombia to deny Mr. Toledo an outright victory.