The World : Peru’s President to Retire

Peruvian President Alan Garcia, beset by a national economic crisis and facing declining popularity, announced that he will withdraw from politics after his term ends in 1990. “I have no further future after 1990,” Latin America’s youngest president at 39 told reporters. Admitting there had been flaws in his government’s economic policy, Garcia said: “Until I step down, I will try to improve things. I tried to make them better and too quickly.” Peru has been sinking deeper into recession, and economists say inflation could reach an annual rate of 2,000% by December. The economic crisis has touched off a wave of protests, and opinion polls show Garcia’s popularity plunging.