Thailand’s Premier Seeks to Dissolve Parliament and Call Election

 

The step would be the next stage in a long political struggle in Thailand that has included a coup, violent demonstrations and a military assault in the heart of the commercial center here in Thailand’s capital. The election, which will take place 45 to 60 days after it is approved by King Bhumibol Adulyadej, has been a key demand of the political opposition since the mass demonstrations a year ago that ended in bloodshed, deepening the country’s political crisis.

“I am confident that this is the way to make the country move forward,” the prime minister said as he announced his call to dissolve Parliament seven months ahead of the end of his term. “While the process is under way, I’d like to insist that there’s no necessity to criticize this matter.”

Mr. Abhisit said he would hold a news conference when he returned on Monday from a meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Thailand has been unstable since a military coup in 2006, with protests and violence on both sides of a deep political and social divide. Political analysts said that a new election was unlikely to resolve the conflicts, warning that it could touch off more unrest.

The main contest will pit Mr. Abhisit’s governing Democratic Party against the Pheu Thai Party, which is backed by Thaksin Shinawatra, who was prime minister before the 2006 coup. Mr. Thaksin remains a political force in Thailand even though he fled the country to avoid prison after being convicted for corruption, and has taken refuge in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Mr. Thaksin enjoys the loyalty of many people in the poor but populous north and northeast of the country, the home of many of the “red-shirt” protesters who besieged Bangkok in April and May 2010 and who form the largest regional bloc of voters.

Clashes between troops and protesters paralyzed parts of Bangkok and led to the deaths of about 90 people.

If neither of the major parties wins a majority in the election, the outcome will depend on a competition for coalition partners from smaller parties whose allegiances are driven by political calculation and personal ambition rather than policy.

Mr. Abhisit’s Democratic Party now holds office in a coalition with smaller parties, and analysts say that it will need a coalition if it is to retain power. Mr. Thaksin’s allies dominate the red-shirt regions and in the past have won the most votes.

Many analysts expect instability after the new election, with renewed demonstrations by the red shirts if they are excluded from the government. If they win, the military and the establishment could act to overturn the result with a coup or an intervention by the courts, experts say.

“If we are talking free and fair elections, I think the pro-Thaksin red-shirts party has a chance to win,” said Pavin Chachavalpongpun of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.

But, he said, “I think the Democrats will work with other smaller parties to form a coalition, with again the help of the military and influential figures.”

Poypiti Amatatham contributed reporting.

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Election Fuels Deadly Clashes in Nigeria

Ethnic and religious tensions between Muslims in the north and Christians in the south, discrimination by southerners against immigrants from the north, and frustration over corruption in a country where most subsist on less than $2 a day while top officials have access to billions in oil revenues have set off the latest round of clashes, much as they have in the past.

While more than 300 were killed in Nigeria’s presidential election four years ago, the death toll appeared to be higher this year, as the violence that flared in the wake of the re-election of Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from the south, instigated a cycle of action and reaction.

Mobs of Muslim youths in the north began rioting after the defeated opposition candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, a Muslim from the north, failed to rein in his supporters. That set off a wave of retaliation against Muslims in Kaduna State in the north, according to Shehu Sani, the head of a leading Nigerian civil rights group.

Mr. Sani, who lives in Kaduna, said Sunday that more than 500 people, mostly Muslims, had been killed in three villages in Kaduna alone since the April 16 presidential election. There was no independent verification of the figure; the authorities have been chary of releasing death tolls for fear of inflaming further violence.

Human Rights Watch said that about 140 were killed in political violence between November and April 17, the day after the election, while acknowledging that many more had died since. Mr. Sani said the total number of victims in the recent violence could top 1,000.

“For presidential elections, on this scale, it’s new,” said Chidi Odinkalu of the Open Society Justice Initiative, adding that the only comparable episodes of violence occurred in the mid-1960s and early 1980s, both times leading to the overthrow of incumbent governments.

A researcher for Human Rights Watch said Sunday that one village in Kaduna “looks like a war zone,” with “not one building standing” and a mosque that had been “gutted.” The researcher, Eric Guttschuss, said he had seen a mosque in another village, Marada Rio, that had been burned down, with anti-Islam graffiti scratched into the ruins, next to inscription reading, “Jesus is Lord.” In other villages, entire streets had been burned down, Mr. Guttschuss said.

Sunday was a day of relative calm in the worst-hit areas like Kaduna, as residents observed a curfew, cleared debris, buried their dead and attended Easter services amid a heavy military and police presence. But there were fears that next week’s elections for governors might bring a renewal of the mayhem.

Mr. Odinkalu said that it was “difficult to come up with a single organizing theory” for the violence. But the persistent cleavage between the country’s relatively wealthier, oil-producing south and its impoverished north, fueled by the intermingling of populations and religions, appeared to lie at the base of this episode, as in previous ones.

Riots in the Muslim north followed Mr. Jonathan’s decisive defeat last week of Mr. Buhari, 57 to 31 percent, in a vote that foreign-observer groups said was perhaps Nigeria’s fairest ever. Mr. Buhari, a former military dictator, swept the north, and after his defeat knife- and machete-wielding youths in northern towns like Kano rampaged through the streets, chanting the general’s name and attacking supporters of Mr. Jonathan’s majority party.

Unlike Mr. Jonathan, Mr. Buhari had refused to condemn, in advance, a possible violent reaction to the election result — a silence analysts said nearly amounted to an invitation to his supporters to take to the streets.

Analysts said the rioting reflected, in part, northern frustration that the dominant party did not allocate its slot on the presidential ballot to a northerner, as would have been expected under an unwritten practice of alternating northern and southern rule of the country.

 

Democrats Sue to Force U.S. Election Agency to Reveal Political Donations

 

The lawsuit seeks to close “a major loophole” that allows private companies and nonprofit groups to operate “under a veil of anonymity” in raising money for political work, said Representative Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat who brought the lawsuit along with lawyers for several liberal groups.

In another push for greater disclosure, President Obama is considering issuing an executive order that would require contractors with federal business to report their political donations. “His goal is transparency and accountability,” said the White House spokesman, Jay Carney.

A surge in corporate spending on political causes — the result of a Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case in January 2010 — became a major issue in the Congressional races that year and promises to be important in the 2012 presidential race.

Some Democrats attributed their loss of the House majority in November to the flood of largely anonymous spending by conservative groups. They have been unsuccessful in rolling back aspects of the Citizens United decision in the courts or in Congress, where Senate Republicans last year blocked a measure known as the Disclose Act, which Mr. Van Hollen sponsored.

As a result, Democrats are turning to other regulatory and executive branch measures — tactics that conservatives said Thursday smacked of political desperation as the presidential election nears.

“This is a sign of weakness by a group that’s afraid they’re going to lose, and lose big,” said Bradley A. Smith, a conservative lawyer and former Federal Election commissioner who leads the Center for Competitive Politics, a conservative advocacy group.

“Again and again, you see evidence that their real purpose is to try to shut down their political opposition,” Mr. Smith said. He and other conservatives argue that disclosure requirements pushed by Democrats amount to a chilling of free speech.

Mr. Van Hollen said in an interview that the lawsuit reflected an effort to use “all available options” to reduce the influence of anonymous corporate money.

In his lawsuit, Mr. Van Hollen noted that a number of the most prominent conservative nonprofit groups spent a total of more than $65 million on political activities in the 2010 races without disclosing any of the donors who financed their activities.

He singled out, among others, Crossroads GPS, a conservative group tied to Karl Rove, who was a senior adviser to President George W. Bush; Americans for Prosperity, financed by the billionaire brothers who lead Koch Industries; and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has increased its political spending significantly in the face of threatened regulatory restrictions on American businesses.

The chamber charged Thursday that the lawsuit, along with Mr. Obama’s consideration of disclosure rules for contractors, were part of a “witch hunt” by Democrats meant to punish their “political foes.”

Specifically, the lawsuit seeks to reverse a 2007 Federal Election Commission regulation requiring companies and groups to name only those donors who gave at least $1,000 specifically for the purpose of financing political activity. Mr. Van Hollen said the agency overstepped its authority in enacting the regulation because it “gutted” disclosure requirements that Congress had put in place in 2002.

The commission declined to comment on the lawsuit.

 

Democrats Sue to Force U.S. Election Agency to Reveal Political Donations

 

The lawsuit seeks to close “a major loophole” that allows private companies and nonprofit groups to operate “under a veil of anonymity” in raising money for political work, said Representative Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat who brought the lawsuit along with lawyers for several liberal groups.

In another push for greater disclosure, President Obama is considering issuing an executive order that would require contractors with federal business to report their political donations. “His goal is transparency and accountability,” said the White House spokesman, Jay Carney.

A surge in corporate spending on political causes — the result of a Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case in January 2010 — became a major issue in the Congressional races that year and promises to be important in the 2012 presidential race.

Some Democrats attributed their loss of the House majority in November to the flood of largely anonymous spending by conservative groups. They have been unsuccessful in rolling back aspects of the Citizens United decision in the courts or in Congress, where Senate Republicans last year blocked a measure known as the Disclose Act, which Mr. Van Hollen sponsored.

As a result, Democrats are turning to other regulatory and executive branch measures — tactics that conservatives said Thursday smacked of political desperation as the presidential election nears.

“This is a sign of weakness by a group that’s afraid they’re going to lose, and lose big,” said Bradley A. Smith, a conservative lawyer and former Federal Election commissioner who leads the Center for Competitive Politics, a conservative advocacy group.

“Again and again, you see evidence that their real purpose is to try to shut down their political opposition,” Mr. Smith said. He and other conservatives argue that disclosure requirements pushed by Democrats amount to a chilling of free speech.

Mr. Van Hollen said in an interview that the lawsuit reflected an effort to use “all available options” to reduce the influence of anonymous corporate money.

In his lawsuit, Mr. Van Hollen noted that a number of the most prominent conservative nonprofit groups spent a total of more than $65 million on political activities in the 2010 races without disclosing any of the donors who financed their activities.

He singled out, among others, Crossroads GPS, a conservative group tied to Karl Rove, who was a senior adviser to President George W. Bush; Americans for Prosperity, financed by the billionaire brothers who lead Koch Industries; and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has increased its political spending significantly in the face of threatened regulatory restrictions on American businesses.

The chamber charged Thursday that the lawsuit, along with Mr. Obama’s consideration of disclosure rules for contractors, were part of a “witch hunt” by Democrats meant to punish their “political foes.”

Specifically, the lawsuit seeks to reverse a 2007 Federal Election Commission regulation requiring companies and groups to name only those donors who gave at least $1,000 specifically for the purpose of financing political activity. Mr. Van Hollen said the agency overstepped its authority in enacting the regulation because it “gutted” disclosure requirements that Congress had put in place in 2002.

The commission declined to comment on the lawsuit.

 

Russians Protest Corruption, a Hot Election Year Issue

 Russians Protest Corruption, a Hot Election Year Issue | Europe | English/* Voice of America ?

A Trusted Source of News & Information since 1942

Inside VOA|Contact VOA News

April 17, 2011 Latest News: Select Your LanguageAfan OromoAlbanianAmharicArmenianAzerbaijaniAzeriBanglaBosnianBurmeseCantoneseChineseCreoleCroatianDariEnglish WorldwideFrenchGeorgianGreekHausaIndonesianKhmerKhmer (English)KinyarwandaKirundiKoreanKurdiKurdishLaoLearning EnglishMacedonianMandarinNdebelePashtoPashto - DeewaPersian PortugueseRussian SerbianShonaSomaliSpanishSwahiliThaiTibetanTibetan (English)TigrignaTurkishUkrainian UrduUzbekVietnameseZimbabwe - EnglishNewsProgramsVideoLearning EnglishLive Streams:Latest Newscast|Africa Live|Global LiveNews USA Africa Americas Asia Europe Middle East Arts and Entertainment EconomyMore TopicsEducationEnvironmentHealthNews AnalysisReligionScience and TechnologySports Web FeaturesSpecial ReportsPhoto GalleriesGoing Green Money In MotionNow You KnowOff the Beaten PathThe LinkInteractive YouTubeFacebookTwitter Web ServicesPodcastsRSSMobileNewsletterWebcastsLinks About the USEditorialsRFE/RLRFAPronunciation Guide News|EuropeEuropeRSS FeedRussians Protest Corruption, a Hot Election Year Issue James Brooke|Moscow?April 16, 2011

Photo: VOA - D. MarkosianA member of the opposition holds a banner at a protest near the Kremlin, April 16, 2011. The banner reads, "Thieves should go to jail" and displays images of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Share ThisFacebookYahoo! BuzzRelated ArticlesRussia’s Ruling Party Chief Favors Putin for President Putin Refuses to Rule Out Run for Russian PresidencyYoung Lawyer Leads Fight Against Corruption in Russia

Two anti-corruption rallies were held Saturday afternoon in Moscow.

Russians turned out on a sunny Saturday afternoon in Moscow for two rival protests against corruption, the top issue on voters minds in this election year according to polls.

This tale of two protests speaks volumes about the state of democracy in Russia - 20 years after the fall of the Soviet Union.

The state threw its weight fully behind the official anti-corruption protest.

One day in advance Moscow? officials blocked off a one kilometer long avenue for the demonstration. The avenue was conveniently located between a 10-lane highway and transit center with two subway and three commuter rail stations.

Chartered buses brought in participants, who were issued flags, banners and crisp white "anti corruption" aprons. Numbering in the thousands, they then marched in groups into the protest zone. There, eight massive video screens and a powerful music system thumped out techno music and anti corruption messages.

Each unit chanted its place of origin, in this case Moscow.

The protest was organized by Nashi, widely seen as a youth wing of the ruling United Russia party.

To fight corruption, Nashi asked protest participants to videotape teachers, doctors, policemen, and other government employees asking for bribes. Then participants are to post the videos on a new "White Apron" website.

Daniel Semyonov, a lawyer, was directing young people to the protest from a subway station. He said that corruption is now everywhere in Russia.

He said that Nashi’s new anti-corruption campaign had nothing to do with parliamentary elections in December and presidential elections next March.

Four kilometers across town, leaders of Russia’s political opposition held their rally on Bolotnaya Ploshads, literally Swamp Square. They were allotted a small corner of a park, formed from reclaimed river land, a 20-minute walk from the nearest metro station.

In contrast to the official demonstration, the area was surrounded by prison buses and riot police.

Andrei Alatin, the director of an advertising agency, said he had not been to a demonstration in 15 years. But he and his wife came Saturday because they feel that corruption is rotting Russian society.

He said that 20 years ago, children wanted to become businessmen. Now they want to get rich by becoming government officials. He said the only solution for Russia would be a real dictatorship or real democracy - not the "Potemkin village" democracy of today.

No one interviewed at this rally believed that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin or President Dmitry Medvedev are interested in fighting graft in Russia. One man held a sign saying: "Russia rots from the Kremlin" - a play on the saying that a fish rots from the head.

A favorite chant was to call the ruling party, "the party of thieves and swindlers."

In this atmosphere, Boris Nemtsov, a rally leader, said the Kremlin had hastily organized the official anti corruption rally.? He drew a rare laugh when he ridiculed Prime Minister Putin.

He said, "Putin against corruption - is like alcoholics against vodka."

This rally ended peacefully, with policemen barking directions through megaphones to herd the estimated 1,000 attendees to the distant subway station.

At the end of the day, a convoy of 10 Nashi buses could be seen heading south from Moscow, lead by a police cruiser escort.

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Russians Protest Corruption, a Hot Election Year Issue

 Russians Protest Corruption, a Hot Election Year Issue | Europe | English/* Voice of America ?

A Trusted Source of News & Information since 1942

Inside VOA|Contact VOA News

April 17, 2011 Latest News: Select Your LanguageAfan OromoAlbanianAmharicArmenianAzerbaijaniAzeriBanglaBosnianBurmeseCantoneseChineseCreoleCroatianDariEnglish WorldwideFrenchGeorgianGreekHausaIndonesianKhmerKhmer (English)KinyarwandaKirundiKoreanKurdiKurdishLaoLearning EnglishMacedonianMandarinNdebelePashtoPashto - DeewaPersian PortugueseRussian SerbianShonaSomaliSpanishSwahiliThaiTibetanTibetan (English)TigrignaTurkishUkrainian UrduUzbekVietnameseZimbabwe - EnglishNewsProgramsVideoLearning EnglishLive Streams:Latest Newscast|Africa Live|Global LiveNews USA Africa Americas Asia Europe Middle East Arts and Entertainment EconomyMore TopicsEducationEnvironmentHealthNews AnalysisReligionScience and TechnologySports Web FeaturesSpecial ReportsPhoto GalleriesGoing Green Money In MotionNow You KnowOff the Beaten PathThe LinkInteractive YouTubeFacebookTwitter Web ServicesPodcastsRSSMobileNewsletterWebcastsLinks About the USEditorialsRFE/RLRFAPronunciation Guide News|EuropeEuropeRSS FeedRussians Protest Corruption, a Hot Election Year Issue James Brooke|Moscow?April 16, 2011

Photo: VOA - D. MarkosianA member of the opposition holds a banner at a protest near the Kremlin, April 16, 2011. The banner reads, "Thieves should go to jail" and displays images of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Share ThisFacebookYahoo! BuzzRelated ArticlesRussia’s Ruling Party Chief Favors Putin for President Putin Refuses to Rule Out Run for Russian PresidencyYoung Lawyer Leads Fight Against Corruption in Russia

Two anti-corruption rallies were held Saturday afternoon in Moscow.

Russians turned out on a sunny Saturday afternoon in Moscow for two rival protests against corruption, the top issue on voters minds in this election year according to polls.

This tale of two protests speaks volumes about the state of democracy in Russia - 20 years after the fall of the Soviet Union.

The state threw its weight fully behind the official anti-corruption protest.

One day in advance Moscow? officials blocked off a one kilometer long avenue for the demonstration. The avenue was conveniently located between a 10-lane highway and transit center with two subway and three commuter rail stations.

Chartered buses brought in participants, who were issued flags, banners and crisp white "anti corruption" aprons. Numbering in the thousands, they then marched in groups into the protest zone. There, eight massive video screens and a powerful music system thumped out techno music and anti corruption messages.

Each unit chanted its place of origin, in this case Moscow.

The protest was organized by Nashi, widely seen as a youth wing of the ruling United Russia party.

To fight corruption, Nashi asked protest participants to videotape teachers, doctors, policemen, and other government employees asking for bribes. Then participants are to post the videos on a new "White Apron" website.

Daniel Semyonov, a lawyer, was directing young people to the protest from a subway station. He said that corruption is now everywhere in Russia.

He said that Nashi’s new anti-corruption campaign had nothing to do with parliamentary elections in December and presidential elections next March.

Four kilometers across town, leaders of Russia’s political opposition held their rally on Bolotnaya Ploshads, literally Swamp Square. They were allotted a small corner of a park, formed from reclaimed river land, a 20-minute walk from the nearest metro station.

In contrast to the official demonstration, the area was surrounded by prison buses and riot police.

Andrei Alatin, the director of an advertising agency, said he had not been to a demonstration in 15 years. But he and his wife came Saturday because they feel that corruption is rotting Russian society.

He said that 20 years ago, children wanted to become businessmen. Now they want to get rich by becoming government officials. He said the only solution for Russia would be a real dictatorship or real democracy - not the "Potemkin village" democracy of today.

No one interviewed at this rally believed that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin or President Dmitry Medvedev are interested in fighting graft in Russia. One man held a sign saying: "Russia rots from the Kremlin" - a play on the saying that a fish rots from the head.

A favorite chant was to call the ruling party, "the party of thieves and swindlers."

In this atmosphere, Boris Nemtsov, a rally leader, said the Kremlin had hastily organized the official anti corruption rally.? He drew a rare laugh when he ridiculed Prime Minister Putin.

He said, "Putin against corruption - is like alcoholics against vodka."

This rally ended peacefully, with policemen barking directions through megaphones to herd the estimated 1,000 attendees to the distant subway station.

At the end of the day, a convoy of 10 Nashi buses could be seen heading south from Moscow, lead by a police cruiser escort.

Listen? Email? Print? Listen: Brooke report
MP3Email This Article?Print This Article? Most-Viewed ArticlesClashes Reported in Several Libyan Cities Japan Still Struggling to Control Crippled Nuclear Plant Large Turnout for Nigeria's Presidential Poll Reports Positive from Nigerian Presidential VoteSuicide Bomber Strikes in Eastern Afghanistan, Killing 9 Most E-mailed ArticlesJapan Still Struggling to Control Crippled Nuclear Plant Large Turnout for Nigeria's Presidential Poll Curfew in Burkina Faso After President Dissolves GovernmentFirst of Japan Disaster Survivors Get Temporary HousesAfghan Taliban to Open Office in TurkeyVOANews:NewsProgramsVideoLearning EnglishArchiveWeb Services:PodcastsRSSMobileNewsletterWebcastsAbout VOANews.com:Terms of Use and Privacy NoticeBroadcasting Board of GovernorsInside VOAFAQsContact VOANewsJob Opportunities

 

Carl Lewis running for election

 11 April 2011 Last updated at 22:08 ET  Mr Lewis (centre) said he wanted to give back to the southern New Jersey district where he grew up Nine-time Olympic champion Carl Lewis has said he will run again, but this time for a Senate seat in the state of New Jersey.

"When I run, as you see from my record, I run to win," Mr Lewis said.

The 49-year-old said he wanted to give back to the southern New Jersey district where he grew up by running for the Senate as a Democrat.

Mr Lewis, a former sprinter and long-jumper, is considered one of the greatest athletes of all time.

He said he was seeking a Senate seat in order to inspire people and improve educational opportunities, particularly in the area of physical education for children.

He also said he hoped to bring civility to the currently bitter US political climate.

"The people are fed up with their elected officials playing the blame game and treating their political counterparts as enemies," he said.

Mr Lewis, who will run in the 8th legislative district now represented by Republican Dawn Addiego, added that he would announce an issue-based platform within the next several days.

It will be the first time Mr Lewis has sought elected office.

On the track, his greatest triumph was the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, where he won gold in the 100 and 200 metres, the long jump and the 4x100-metre relay.

He won two golds at each of the next two Olympic Games, and took his final Olympic title - his fourth straight Olympic gold in the long jump - at the Atlanta Games of 1996.

 

Byrne settles election song case

12 April 2011 Last updated at 04:38 ET  Byrne said the settlement had made him feel "very manly" Singer David Byrne has reached a legal settlement with Florida's ex-governor over the unauthorised use of a Talking Heads song in an election campaign.

Byrne had sued Charlie Crist after Road to Nowhere featured in a YouTube video attacking Marco Rubio, Crist's opponent in last year's US Senate race.

Byrne said he was one of a few artists with "the bucks and guts to challenge such usage".

On Monday Crist put a video on YouTube in which he apologised to the singer.

"Should there be any future election campaigns for me, I will respect and uphold the rights of artists and obtain permission or a licence for the use of any copyrighted work," he said in the video.

Byrne had originally sued Crist for $1m (￡613,000). The full terms of the settlement have not been released.

Continue reading the main story

"Other artists may actually have the anger but not want to take the time and risk the legal bills. I am lucky that I can do that”

End Quote David Byrne In a statement, Crist said he had met Byrne last week to discuss the case and that the 58-year-old "couldn't have been a better guy".

"As I told him, I was sorry it ever happened at all," he added. "He couldn't have been more of a gentleman about it."

Scottish-born Byrne said he was feeling "very manly" after his trip to Tampa to meet Mr Crist.

"Other artists may actually have the anger but not want to take the time and risk the legal bills," he said. "I am lucky that I can do that."

He said that by standing up for his rights as a composer, the unauthorised use of songs in political campaigns could be "made to be a less common option or, better yet, an option that is never taken in the future".

Road to Nowhere, a number six hit single in the UK that failed to chart in the US, featured on the band's 1985 album Little Creatures.

 

Run-off election likely in Peru

。 11 April 2011 Last updated at 04:26 ET Ollanta Humala has been likened to Venezuela's left-wing President Hugo Chavez Partial results in Peru's presidential election give left-wing former army officer Ollanta Humala the lead, but without the 50% of votes needed to avoid a second round.

With 50% of votes counted Mr Humala has 27.6%, with former Prime Minister Pedro Pablo Kuczynski on 23.1%.

Keiko Fujimori, daughter of disgraced ex-leader Alberto Fujimori, has 22%.

Observers from the Organization of American States say no major logistical difficulties affected the election.

The results so far declared are mainly from cities and towns.

Full unofficial results compiled by the election watchdog Transparencia give Mr Humala a clear lead, with Ms Fujimori. If that is confirmed, there will be a run-off election for those two candidates on 5 June.

Former President Alejandro Toledo is also contesting the election.

Outgoing President Alan Garcia could not stand for a second term and his Apra party did not put forward a candidate.

Peru is enjoying an economic boom and the campaign focused on how to maintain growth while tackling widespread poverty.

'Aids or cancer'

Ollanta Humala, 48, who came second to Mr Garcia in 2006, campaigned on a promise to increase the state's role in the economy and redistribute wealth to Peru's poor majority.

Keiko Fujimori says she wants to continue her father's legacy

His critics have compared him to Venezuela's left-wing President Hugo Chavez, but he has emphasised links with Brazil's governing Workers' Party.

Keiko Fujimori, 35, appealed to voters who still admire her father, president for a decade from 1990. He is now serving a 25-year jail sentence for corruption and organising death squads.

She has defended his record, saying by taming hyper-inflation and defeating Marxist Shining Path rebels, he laid the basis for Peru's current economic boom.

The prospect of a run-off between Mr Humala and Ms Fujimori has worried some Peruvians, including the Nobel Prize-winning author Mario Vargas Llosa, who has said it would be like "choosing between Aids and cancer".

Mr Vargas Llosa is an outspoken critic of left-wing politics and himself stood for president in 1990 only to be defeated by Alberto Fujimori.

On the eve of the election, Apra gave its support to Mr Kuczynski, 72.