Peru's capital set to have its first female mayor

Source: BBC

Votes are still being counted from Peru's municipal and regional elections but the capital city, Lima, is set to have its first female mayor.

Susana Villaran, of the leftist Social Force Party, was just ahead of conservative Lourdes Flores. First results put Ms Villaran on 38.9% and Ms Flores on 37.2%.

Sunday's elections were being closely watched as a possible indicator of voter sentiment ahead of next April's presidential poll. With regional and municipal elections held around the country, President Alan Garcia is constitutionally barred from standing in next year's presidential race.

Opinion polls ahead of the 3 October elections had made Ms Villaran, a 61-year-old human rights advocate, favourite to take charge of Lima. This would be the first time a leftist has been in charge of the capital since the early 1980s.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11468747