Toledo wins presidency of Peru

Alejandro Toledo, a one-time shoeshine boy who rose from poverty to become a World Bank economist, will become Peru’s first democratically elected president with Indian roots. Toledo beat former President Alan Garcia in a presidential runoff that was marked by credibility questions about both candidates. It was Peru’s cleanest presidential election in years. “TONIGHT PERUVIANS celebrate the triumph of democracy,” Toledo told thousands gathered in front of the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Lima. “I swear, brothers and sisters, I will never let you down.” With 70 percent of the vote counted, Toledo had 51.6 percent to 48.3 percent for Garcia, said Fernando Tuesta, the nation’s top election official. The election came seven months after Peruvians drove authoritarian President Alberto Fujimori from office in a corruption scandal, and signaled a return to democratic voting after elections tainted by fraud.