Peru's socialists cheer election win as conservatives pledge to fight on
13/06/2021 16:02
By Marco Aquino
LIMA, June 13 (Reuters) - Peru's socialist party and
presidential candidate Pedro Castillo have cheered their likely
victory in the Andean country's tightly-contested election,
despite right-wing rival Keiko Fujimori's pledge to fight on
until the last vote is counted.
The polarized contest, a crossroads moment for the
mineral-rich nation, seems set to tilt Peru sharply to the left,
which has rattled the political establishment, markets and
miners in the world's no. 2 producer of the red metal copper.
Castillo, a former teacher, is leading with 50.14% of the
vote with 99.935% of ballots tallied, with the route back for
Fujimori, who has made unfounded allegations of fraud, looking
increasingly unlikely - barring an unexpected late twist.
"The people have already chosen their path," Castillo told
hundreds of his followers on Saturday night in Lima and asked
the authorities to wrap up the count as fast as possible.
"No more polarization in the country. Let us leave it to the
authorities so that once and for all these things are no longer
prolonged and so the popular will is respected."
Thousands of Peruvian supporters of both Castillo and
Fujimori marched in Lima on Saturday as anxiety over the
painstaking vote count has continued to build.
The gap between the two candidates is less than 0.3 of a
percentage point, or some 49,420 votes. Fujimori, the heir of a
powerful political family and daughter of ex-President Alberto
Fujimori who is in prison for human rights abuses and
corruption, has insisted on claims of fraud and sought
unsuccessfully to annul as many as 200,000 votes.
"I am a person who never gives up," Fujimori, 46, told
hundreds of supporters as she led a protest on Saturday in
downtown Lima, many of her backers holding the red and white
Peruvian flag.
Castillo's party has rejected accusations of fraud and
international observers of the process in Lima have stated that
the elections were transparent.
Castillo, 51, has already received congratulations from some
leftist Latin American leaders, prompting official protests from
Peru's current interim government who has asked everyone to wait
until the electoral body formally announces the result.
Peru's new president should come into office on July 28,
facing the challenge of steering the country beyond the world's
deadliest COVID-19 outbreak per capita, healing a divided nation
and reviving an economy amid rising level of poverty.
(Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by Dave Sherwood and Adam
Jourdan; editing by Diane Craft)
((adam.jourdan@thomsonreuters.com; +54 1155446882; Reuters
Messaging: adam.jourdan.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))