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Second Round of Polling Likely in Peru

Ollanta Humala, a former army commander whose nationalist campaign has polarized Peruvians, held a narrow lead in Peru`s presidential election on Sunday, initial official results showed. Humala leads with 27.3% of the vote, with conservative Lourdes Flores on 26.5% and ex-President Alan Garcia in third place with 26.1%.

Peruvians were also electing two vice-presidents and 120 members of Congress. The state deployed 53,000 police and soldiers to make sure the election went smoothly. The figures included results from 45% of polling stations.

A second round on May 7 looks certain, as Ollanta Humala is well below the 50% of the vote needed to claim outright victory. He has vowed to spend more money on the poor. If he wins is expected to take the South American state in a similar direction to Hugo Chavez`s Venezuela.