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Peru: Reactions After Ollanta Humala's Inauguration

After a long wait, the Inauguration ceremony in Peru took place on July 28, 2011, as part of the official celebrations of the independence anniversary; Peruvians now have a new President, Ollanta Humala.

Comments and reactions in social networks have been filled with everything from faith and hope, to bitter criticism, irony and humorous remarks about the First Lady, Nadine Heredia's, dresses.

Humala's speech was moderate [es], relegating his initial leftist proposals, thus leaving unionists and businessmen [es] satisfied. He announced that the relationship State-Market will be “different to the failed extreme recipes [es] of an interventionist State or a minimal excluding State”.

Ollanta Humala Peru

TV transmission of President Ollanta Humala's speech. (Picture: Victor Mantilla)

The activity in social networks reached a peak during the inauguration ceremony [es] of Ollanta Humala, especially since Humala invoked [es] in his oath the “values and principles of “1979's Constitution” [es], that is not valid since 1993, when Alberto Fujimori enacted the current one.

This caused unrest among many, like Valeria (@Vale_muniz), who tweeted:

#tomademando no esta respetando nada si estan juramentando sobre una constitucion que no esta vigente, dictador!!

#tomademando [inauguration] is not respecting anything if it's being sworn over a non valid constitution, dictator!!

In the same line of thinking, MargOtt (@margott_cule) is displeased:

LAAA XUXAAAAAAAAAA JURO X LA CONSTITUCION DE 1979!!!! ahi esta pues, ese es su PRESI!! nos cagamos!! #cambiodemando

DAMN IT, HE SWORE OVER THE CONSTITUTION OF 1979!!!! There you go, that's your President!! We are f***!! #cambiodemando

Immediately opposition congressmen, lead by the fujimorist Martha Chavez, started a sounded protest [es], before the astonished eyes of foreign visitors [es], a deed that did not passed by unnoticed in the social networks.

Karen Arlett (@frecks_) tweets:



Christian Rubio (@christian_rubio) points out:

Martha Chavez con la constitución del 93 en mano! que feo roche [vergüenza]npara las autoridades internacionales #cambiodemando

Martha Chavez with 93′ constitution on her hand! What an ugly embarrassment for foreign authorities #cambiodemando

Pedro Atuncar says on Facebook:

que vergüenza nacional la conducta de nuestros padres de la patria hoy en la toma de mando presidencial. Si asi son quienes nos representan , entonces como avanzaremos, un salon de Inicial [preescolar] era mas ordenado.

what a national shame was the behavior of our rulers today at the President's inauguration. If that's how people who represent us are, how are we going to progress, a kindergarten is more orderly.

The noisy and belligerent attitude started by congresswoman Chavez generated such an adverse reaction that a Facebook page was created under the name: “Martha Chavez: Vergüenza Nacional” [es] (Martha Chavez: National Embarrassment) and it passed 10,000 followers in only 24 hours.

During the change of command, there were many users happy with the new President, as we can read in comments like this one from Franz Morales:

Por fin asumio el Comandante excelentisimo sr Presidente Ollamta Humala sus funciones . Ahora a poner en orden la casa y fumigarla bien para echar las ratas y cucarachas

Finally the Honorable Commander, Mr. President Ollanta Humala was inaugurated. Now, it's time to put things in order at home and fumigate well to kick out all rats and cockroaches

Emmanuel André (@EmmanuelAmdreM) also celebrates:

Le ponen banda presidencial a Ollanta Humala. Ahora, es mi presidente, tu presidente, nuestro presidente #cambiodemando

The Presidential band was placed upon Ollanta Humala. Now, he is my President, your President, our President #cambiodemando

Alfonso Junior Samanez was also cheerful:

Bienvenido Sr. Presidente de la Republica del Peru Tnt. Coronel Ollanta Humala Tasso… el pueblo peruano esta contigo. Viva el Peru!

Welcome Mr. President of the Republic of Peru, Lt. Coronel Ollanta Humala Tasso… the Peruvian people are with you. Long live Peru!

Afterwards, the Peruvian celebrations included a great military parade [es], lead by the new President [es], during which comments [es] were abundant, like this one from Victor Pariona:

Ya empezo el desfile militar del peru con el presidente Humala y su revolucion viva el peruuu carajooo hoy se bebe y mañana tanbien que volada locosss $$$$$$$$

The military parade of Peru is on with President Humala and his revolution, long live Peru damn it, today we drink and tomorrow too, what a ride $$$$$$$$

The tweep Eucaris (@musa 1919) signaled:

Ollanta Humala preside un desfile mientras se apaga la controversia por su juramento

Ollanta Humala leads a parade while the controversy around his oath smothers [es]

From its Twitter account, the newspaper La República (@larepublica_pe) reported:

Presidente Ollanta Humala se encuentra emocionado, por ratos entona las canciones militares

President Ollanta Humala is excited; at times he chants military songs

Benji Evangelista (@1080i60) observed:

que bueno que Ollanta saludara a todos las personas que fueron a ver el desfile militar de hoy, no como Alan o Toledo que saludaban poco =/

It's good that Ollanta greeted everyone who went to watch today's military parade, not like Alan or Toledo who didn't greet a lot =/

Cesar Mayta (@cesarmayta) asks himself:

Q sentira ollanta al ver el desfile militar, antes el habra desfilado?

Wonder what is Ollanta feeling while seeing the military parade, since he himself marched before?

And some others do not hide that they rather not see Humala as President, like Ricardo Lopez (@ratonmaton):

Que ironia ver a Ollanta Humala dar permiso e iniciar el desfile militar y ver a los policias que el mando a matar.

What an irony to see Ollanta Humala giving permission for the military parade to start and watch the cops he sent to kill

But also, many users, like Yolanda Figueroa, were not longer looking at the President but were excited by the festive mood among Peruvians:



The humorous note these days has been the great amount of jest comments dedicated to the dresses used by the First Lady, Nadine Heredia, who used a flashy red dress with lots of ruffles [es] on July 28, at the inauguration of her husband; and on July 29 she wore another dress of similar design in pink [es] that didn't go unnoticed, like @Primerafuente points out:

Buenos dias a todos, Nadine Heredia y su vestido “Mirenme a Mí Carajo!!!” Marcando un estilo rococo de Primera Dama…

Good morning everyone, Nadine Heredia and her dress “Look at me damn it!!!” Setting a rococo style as a First Lady…

Arturo Galagarza (@ArturoGalagarza) jokes about the phonetic resemblance of “fashion” and “fascism”:

Nadine no esta Fashion,esta FACHON jajaja

Nadine is not Fashion, she is FACHON (Fascist-like) hahaha [what an ugly dress]

Bruno Ortiz (@blogdenotas), Twitter user and journalist, joins the disapproval chorus and compares Nadine Heredia to the President of Argentina, Cristina Kirchner:

Recién me pongo a ver el desfile y veo a Nadine. Parece un virrey. Es claro que quiere ser como Cristina K en lo fashion… no le liga [no lo logra].

I just sat down to watch the parade and I see Nadine. Looks like a viceroy. It's clear that she wants to be like Cristina K fashion wise… she doesn't pull it off

Alejandra Pachas (@Alezita87) comments on the pink color of the dress:

Nadine Heredia…representa a los algodones de azúcar del Perú ¡VIVA!

Nadine Heredia… represents the cotton candy of Peru, HOORAY!

Users like Erick Velasquez and Erick Santos (@Beatlerick_) make fun of how visually heavy the dresses were:

para Tortas Gaby que hizo el vestido de Nadine.

#FF for Gaby Cakes who designed Nadine's dress.

Others, though, belittle the jeers against Nadine Heredia and ask people to focus on other subjects, like Milan (@Milanta) or Luis Murrugarra (@Luish910):

JAJA wtf en serio estan discutiendo los que se pone Nadine Heredia?? que importa eso! ni que fuera LadyGaga

LOL wtf are you really discussing what Nadine Heredia wears?? what does it matter! is not like she is Lady Gaga

Now that Humala has sworn in as President of the Republic of Peru, he will be facing the tough duty of leading a country that, in spite of its great economic growth, drags high poverty percentages, therefore the outcast sectors now have high expectations for his performance.

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