Peru's Election Highlights Failures Within Economic Success

Peru’s presidential election is highlighting the country’s economic success -- and its broader failures. While Peru can boast South America’s best growth and inflation figures over the past 15 years, it also has some of its worst social indicators.

The two candidates in the runoff on June 5 both pledge to maintain the business-friendly policies that have fueled growth averaging 5.3 percent since 2001 and annual inflation of only about 2.7 percent. The battle between Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Keiko Fujimori is about socioeconomic issues. While Fujimori is concentrating on rising crime and people’s sense of insecurity, Kuczynski is proposing higher health spending and education standards. With almost a quarter of Peruvians living below the poverty line, whoever wins has their work cut out for them.