A FIERY nationalist who has rattled the elite seemed assured of a spot in Peru’s presidential run-off, but the race for second remained too close to call yesterday.

POPULIST Ollanto Humala is leading Peru’s presidential race, with conservative Lourdes Flores and ex-president Alan Garcia competing to qualify for a run-off against the front-runner.

PERUVIANS were voting in a tight presidential contest yesterday that could put their Andean nation on a leftist track akin to Venezuela and Bolivia, giving them their first female leader or offer a former president a second chance.

Alejandro Toledo, an economist with native Indian roots, finished first in Peru’s presidential election yesterday but fell short of a majority and will face a runoff, according to exit polls.