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, 1946—, Peruvian political leader, president of Peru (2001—). Toledo, who has indigenous Andean roots, was born into poverty in rural Peru and grew up in the port city of Chimbote. Industrious, ambitious, and charming, he won scholarships to the Univ. of San Francisco, Harvard, and Stanford, where he obtained a Ph.D. A business-school professor and an official at the World Bank, Toledo became involved in Peruvian politics as an opponent of the authoritarian policies of President Alberto Fujimori. Although Toledo had never before held or run for elective office, he formed a coalition consisting of the urban lower middle class, rural Indians, and Lima's elite and, after Fujimori fled Peru and resigned (2000), defeated former president Alan Garćia in the 2001 presidential elections. Toledo promised to fight corruption, guarantee judicial independence, and cut military spending.
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