Peruvian president proud of economy
NEW YORK – Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo called his country an economic success story Saturday, and attributed his low approval ratings to belt-tightening measures aimed at keeping Peru on a solid financial footing.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Toledo said fiscal discipline combined with targeted social assistance programs are leading the country away from the instability that marked the autocratic rule of his predecessor, Alberto Fujimori.
“We are now beginning to see the fruits of the sacrifice it has taken to maintain discipline and achieve sustained economic growth,” said Toledo, who noted the economy has been growing at 5 percent.
“Peru has never before had the credibility it has now in the international financial system,” he added.
Toledo, who took office in 2001, said his recent poll approval ratings that have hit as low as single digits were the result of his financial belt-tightening. While committing to high-priority improvements such as bringing electricity to rural communities, he said his rejection of other proposals has carried a high political cost.
“If I had approved all the laws passed by Congress, I would have fallen into populism and it would send a message of economic instability, political instability and judicial instability to the global market,” he said.
“Peru doesn’t have the oil that Venezuela and other countries have, we’re net importers. Consequently you have to manage responsibly,” he said.
Toledo, in New York for the U.N. World Summit, said his popularity has recently climbed to 20 percent.
“It will be up to history to judge” his presidency, said Toledo, whose term ends in July 2006.
His efforts to solidify Peru’s democracy have been made more difficult by the legacy of Fujimori, he said, accusing the exiled former dictator of allowing rampant corruption.
“When someone leaves the palace through the back door, goes to another country and resigns by fax … it’s politically surreal,” he said.
Fujimori, who has been fighting two extradition requests from exile in Japan, may be easier to bring to Peru since he recently applied to renew his Peruvian passport, Toledo said.
A free trade agreement with other Andean nations and the United States is part of Toledo’s economic plan.
Toledo, who met with U.S. lawmakers earlier this week in Washington, said he has received strong support from Republicans and Democrats since he offered to address labor issues in the agreement.
He said negotiations were continuing on pace – with the only technical differences coming on agriculture and intellectual property – and he hopes the treaty will be approved by the legislatures of Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and the U.S. in April.