Neoliberalism and Lower-Class Voting Behavior in Peru

Abstract

It is often assumed that lower classes will resist market-oriented neoliberal reforms that impose economic austerity on popular sectors and exacerbate social inequalities. However, the Peruvian case suggests that there are contexts in which political leaders can implement market reforms while sustaining lower-class political support. Survey data and the electoral results of a 1993 constitutional referendum indicate that President Alberto Fujimori's unexpected postelectoral embrace of the neoliberal model cost him support among lower-class constituents in the short term. However, the renewal of economic growth and accelerated poverty relief funding, combined with a reduction in political violence, enabled Fujimori to win back lower-class support for his 1995 reelection. In the process, Fujimori constructed a multiclass electoral constituency that broke with Peru's previous pattern of polarized class-based voting distinctions.