Peru’s Humala faces complex final year in power
tenure. When Humala took office on 28 July 2011 there was a visceral fear among the private sector and business community that he would abandon his conciliatory rhetoric, revert to his nationalist roots and set Peru on the path taken by Venezuela. Instead, Humala pursued an agenda of free trade and fiscal rectitude, shedding his leftist allies who stood aghast as he used his final state-of-the-nation address to congress four years later to lay claim to the legacy of Peru’s first great social reformer. Humala, whose political inexperience has been exposed in his dealings with congress, seldom gets credit for his achievements, especially against Sendero Luminoso (SL) and the illegal drug trade, but this is a big claim. The prospect of enhancing his ‘legacy’ is also bleak as the political opposition assumes control of the legislature.
Expectations were not especially high for President Humala’s last state-of-the- nation address. He naturally kept well away from the story dominating the media – the corruption scandal surrounding First Lady Nadine Heredia. Instead, Humala stuck limpet-tight to a recitation of his government’s administrative achievements. He said that big strides had been taken to improve edu- cation, with the education budget up by 70% to surpass NS$22bn (US$7.3bn), and grants provided for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. He also claimed that 1.3m people had been lifted out of poverty during his mandate, and that “even in times of uncertainty” Peru had kept growing and should post the fastest growth of the region (3.5%) this year.