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Peru's Congress Selects Centrist Lawmaker as New Leader

Associated Press

   LIMA, PERU - Peru's political crisis appeared on the verge of
   resolution Monday as Congress cleared the way for an elder statesman
   and consensus candidate to become the country's third president in a
   week.

   Jubilant people waved the nation's red-and-white flag and blared horns
   on the streets of Peru's capital as Francisco Sagasti of the centrist
   Purple Party was selected as the new president of Congress.

   The 76-year-old engineer has not yet been sworn into office, but as
   head of Congress he becomes the nation's chief of state by default.
   Peru currently has no president or vice president, making him next in
   line.

   It will now fall on Sagasti to heal a nation bruised by a week of
   upheaval.

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