Peru's unpopular President Alejandro Toledo signed into law on Thursday a contentious scheme to give the country's poorest $30 a month starting in May, a move some politicians have said is a poorly disguised vote-winning plan ahead of next year's elections. The program aims to reach 3 million people in Peru, where more than half the population lives on $1.25 a day or less. The law gives the Economy Ministry 30 days to release the money, which is expected to come from government coffers, donations and multilateral loans. Some critics question whether Toledo's program will work. Opposition politicians, the media and analysts say bureaucracy and corruption threaten to prevent money from reaching remote Andean areas where poverty is the worst. Toledo, the son of an Andean laborer who grew up shining shoes, has made the fight against poverty a central part of his government. But many Peruvians say he has failed to turn economic growth, which has topped 5 percent, into prosperity and jobs. --More 2305 Local Time 2005 GMT
