In Peru, Pedro Castillo proclaimed winner of the presidential election

Published on : 07/20/2021 – 03:31

The radical left candidate Pedro Castillo was declared the winner of the presidential election by the Peruvian electoral authority on Monday evening. His rival, Keiko Fujimori, who had cried fraud at the end of the poll more than a month ago, has ended up accepting defeat.

The candidate of the radical left, Pedro Castillo, was proclaimed Monday, July 19 the winner of the presidential election in Peru by the electoral authority, more than a month after the ballot of the second round which opposed him to the candidate of the populist right-wing Keiko Fujimori.

“I proclaim President of the Republic José Pedro Castillo Terrones,” said the President of the National Election Jury (JNE), Jorge Luis Salas, in a brief virtual ceremony.

The electoral authority responsible for examining the appeals thus confirmed the results delivered several weeks ago by the National Body for the Electoral Process (ONPE).

At the end of the counting of 100% of the ballots, the ONPE had given Pedro Castillo, 51 years old, winner with 50.12% of the votes, against 49.87% of the votes to his rival, Keiko Fujimori, 46 years old . According to the results validated by the JNE, Pedro Castillo wins with 44,263 votes ahead of the daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000).

Keiko Fujimori recognizes the results

Shortly before the announcement of the final result, Keiko Fujimori, who had insinuated at the beginning of July that she would not recognize the victory of her competitor, did an about-face during a press conference.

“Today, I announce that by fulfilling my commitments, my commitment to all Peruvians (…) to the international community, I will recognize the results because it is what the law and the Constitution demand that I swore to defend, ”she said. “I call on Peruvians not to give up and to implement a democratic defense” in the event of Pedro Castillo’s government, also argued Keiko Fujimori, targeted by an investigation for alleged bribes during his presidential campaigns of 2011 and 2016, where she failed in the second round. She has already served 16 months of preventive detention and faces 30 years in prison.

The OAS observation mission, the United States and the European Union considered that the vote in Peru had been free and transparent.

Pedro Castillo will take office on July 28, the day the term of interim president Francisco Sagasti expires.

With AFP

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