NEOLIBERALISM AND LOWER-CLASS VOTING-BEHAVIOR IN PERU

It is often assumed that lower classes will resist market-oriented neo liberal reforms that impose economic austerity on popular sectors and exacerbate social inequalities. However, the Peruvian case suggests th at there are contexts in which political leaders can implement market reforms while sustaining lower-class political support. Survey data an d the electoral results of a 1993 constitutional referendum indicate t hat President Alberto Fujimori's unexpected postelectoral embrace of t he neoliberal model cost him support among lower-class constituents in the short term. However, the renewal of economic growth and accelerat ed poverty relief funding, combined with a reduction in political viol ence, enabled Fujimori to win back lower-class support for his 1995 re election. In the process, Fujimori constructed a multiclass electoral constituency that broke with Peru's previous pattern of polarized clas s-based voting distinctions.