In declaring Hugo Chavez the true loser of the election during his victory speech on Sunday night, Peru’s Alan Garcia claimed to have stuck a needle into the Venezuelan president’s ballooning sphere of involvement in Latin America. Though both men label themselves ‘‘leftists,’’ there has been plenty of room for strain between them.By choosing Garcia over Ollanta Humala, Peruvian voters opted to preserve the free-market policies that leaders such as Brazil’s Luis Inacio Lula da Silva and Chile’s Michelle Bachelet champion as the best way to generate economic growth and increased social spending. Humala had called for a social revolution against what he considered inherent exploitation in US-style market economics, a position shared by Chavez and Bolivia’s Evo Morales.‘‘I don’t like Chavez,’’ said Walter Vasquez, 40, echoing the views of some 83 per cent of Peruvians, according to a Lima-based polling firm that recently surveyed opinions of the Venezuelan president. In trying to build support outside of Venezuela, Chavez often appeals to anti-American sentiment and says the wide gaps between rich and poor in many Latin American countries result from US imperialism. He often says US influence must be resisted by a regional alliance of socialist governments. Such a message has found a receptive audience in Bolivia, where Morales became a dependable Chavez ally after taking office this year, but it recently has created sparks in other countries.When Morales partially nationalised Bolivia’s energy industry, Chavez’s congratulations were met with criticism in Brazil. When Lula leavened his condemnation by making friendly public overtures toward Morales and Chavez, lawmakers and media outlets throughout Brazil protested, calling for Lula to exert more influence on Venezuela and Bolivia, which are much smaller than Brazil. Recently the Nicaraguan government has called for Chavez to stay out of its politics. He had supported Daniel Ortega, a former leader of the Sandanista movement.Monte Reel
