Peru recall vote casts shadow beyond Lima's reformist mayor
Peru recall vote casts shadow beyond Lima's reformist mayor
Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:40 GMT
Source: reuters // Reuters
* Poor voters feel ignored by Villaran
* Parties jockey for edge in next presidential vote
* Potential comeback for "El Mudo"
By Marco Aquino and Mitra Taj
LIMA, March 14 (Reuters) - The reformist mayor of Peru's capital may be ousted in a recall vote on Sunday as traditional power brokers try to paint her as inept, an effort her supporters say could paralyze public works and affect the next presidential race.
Susana Villaran, 63, the only popularly elected woman to have governed Lima in its 500-year history and the first leftist to hold the job in three decades, has hit stiff opposition to her drive to root out corruption and instill order in the chaotic city of 8 million.
Polls show Villaran, a longtime human rights activist before taking office two years ago, will likely lose by 6 to 10 percentage points in the capital's first recall election.
Conservative politicians, evangelical leaders, food venders, and bus and taxi drivers have joined forces to remove her.
They say she has bungled desperately needed public works projects and spent too much time promoting gay rights while cracking down on the millions of residents who earn a living in the informal economy - the street vendors, merchants, drivers and maids who often work off the books.
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