In Peru, a retired army officer who once tried to overthrow the Fujimori government, has surged into the lead in this weekend’s presidential race. Ollanta Humala has received widespread support among the nation’s poor and has been endorsed by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. But Humala has been widely criticized by business leaders. He has called for the nationalization of Peru’s natural resources, new taxes on foreign mining companies, a veto on a trade agreement with Washington and an end to US-sponsored eradication of coca. Humala spoke on Thursday before supporters. “The Peruvian people are immune to that fear of change. The Peruvian people want change. We don’t want more poverty, more social injustice, more unemployment, more abandonment, more corruption. Tonight, the Peruvian people should confirm (their desire for) change, a new society, that is nationalism.”