Ollanta Humala Biography

Ollanta Humala is the President of Peru since 2011. The son of a Communist activist, he is a former army officer. As a member of Peru's armed fighting force, he took part in opposing the Communist Party of Peru during the nation's civil war and also fought against Ecuador in the Cenepa War. He later led an uprising against the then Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori in protest of his numerous corruption scandals. After Fujimori was impeached, Congress pardoned Humala for his actions and he was allowed to resume his military career. He completed a Master's degree in Political Science and then retired from the military. In 2005, he founded the Peruvian Nationalist Party and registered to contest the 2006 presidential election. He lost to Alan Garcia of the Peruvian Aprista Party in the runoff. As a Latin American nationalist, he has focused on uniting Peru's many ethnic groups and growing the country's economy by looking to neighboring countries rather than depending on the United States and Europe. He aims to create programs that will empower the impoverished citizens of Peru, produce new jobs and enhance quality of life