Weekly Report - 21 March 2013 (WR-13-11)

Susana Villarán will remain mayor of Lima after narrowly edging a recall referendum against her on 17 March. Her triumph was tempered by a serious setback for her left-wing Fuerza Social (FS): 21 of the 39 Lima councillors were recalled, 19 of them from the FS. Voters appear to have decided to keep Villarán despite misgivings because of the dubious interests behind the recall referendum, but to punish her by stripping her of support in the council. The decisive factor behind her triumph was the support offered by Lourdes Flores, of the conservative Partido Popular Cristiano (PPC), who she defeated in the mayoral elections in October 2010. The decision by the Partido Aprista Peruano (PAP), far less popular than the PPC in Lima, to seek to replace Villarán also solidified support for her.