Peru
In Latin America, the Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation cooperates with the Unión de Partidos Latinoamericanos (UPLA) – a cooperation organization for center-right parties in Latin America and a member of the International Democrat Union (IDU).
Population: 29.25 million (2011 estimate)
Area: 1 285 216 km2
GDP (PPP): 274,7 billion dollar (2010 estimate)
GDP per capita (PPP): 9 200 $ (2010 estimate)
Rate of growth: 7,8 % (2010 estimate)
Head of state and head of government: Ollanta Humala Tasso
Present day Peru has been home to many ancient civilizations, of which the Incan empire is the most renowned. In 1533, however, the Spanish conquistadors defeated the Incans. Peru gained its independence from Spain in 1821. More recently, Peru was governed by a military regime until 1980 when it was succeeded by a democratically elected government. The 80s were a decade marked by economic crises and riots. In 1990, Alberto Fujimori was elected president and an era of economic growth ensued. The government also managed to curtail the economic activities of the guerillas (primarily the one led by Sendero Luminoso). However, the rule of Fujimori evolved in an authoritarian direction and the country was plunged into an economic crisis.
President Fujimori resigned in the autumn of 2000 as a consequence of a corruption scandal. As a result, political violence escalated and the political situation is continuously unstable. The guerilla has stepped up its activities and there have been a number of terrorist attacks. As Alejandro Toledo was elected president he pledged to reform Peruvian society, crack down on corruption and strengthen the rule of law. However, Toledo failed to realize his promises. On the 28th of June 2006 Alan García was elected president. In these elections, Lourdes Flores Nano was one of the presidential candidates. Flores represents Partido Popular Cristiano, which is a collaborative party of the Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation, and he is the leader of a coalition with Partido Solidaridad Nacional – the Uniad Nacional (UN).
The situation in terms of human rights remains dissatisfactory in Peru. The legal system is independent of the political power. Freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of association and freedom of religion are guaranteed by the constitution. There is no state censorship although there are reports of journalists being threatened and pressured.
The latest general election was held in April 2011 and the socialist candidate Ollanta Humala Tasso was elected president with 51,5 percent of the votes.
In May 2008, the Unión de Naciones Suramericanas (Unasur) was founded. It is a union of the South American nations modelled on the EU. The union already has twelve member states, though its function is, as of yet, mostly symbolic.
