Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Alan García Pérez (1949–2019) was a Peruvian lawyer, academic, and politician who served as President of Peru twice: 1985–1990 and 2006–2011. He founded and led the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA).
Elected at 36, García pursued heterodox policies—bank nationalization, price controls, and expansionary spending—that triggered hyperinflation (exceeding 7,000% annually) and economic collapse. His term also saw the rise of the Shining Path insurgency.
Defeated in 1990, he lived in exile (Colombia, France) until 2001, when charges were dropped.
García embraced market-oriented reforms, achieving strong growth and poverty reduction. He created a national health insurance system. However, his administration faced corruption allegations and criticism over the 2009 Bagua conflict (Baguazo), where indigenous protesters and police clashed over land rights.
García died by suicide in April 2019, hours before a planned arrest on corruption charges related to the Odebrecht scandal.
His legacy remains deeply polarized: credited with modernizing APRA and presiding over a recovery, but also associated with economic disaster and corruption.