President Clinton already has said he plans to veto the estate tax measure, and the White House opposes a repeal of the gas tax, so there was little question that the nation's drivers would benefit from Thursday's legislative efforts.
Although the party has yet to prove it has the ability to beat the PLD in 2010 legislative elections, it is likely to benefit from the electorate's disenchantment and perhaps improve upon the 40% share of the vote that PRD candidate, Miguel Vargas Maldonado, received in the 2008 presidential election.
This tactic has largely worked: He counted seven major legislative achievements in his first term, including bills to increase benefit contributions among state workers, change tenure rules for public schoolteachers and merge several state universities.