Peru to hold presidential run-off election
Peru will hold its presidential runoff vote today.
Socialist elementary school teacher and union leader Pedro Castillo faces Keiko Fujimori, the conservative daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori. The two exited the first round of voting on April 11 with 19% and 13% of the vote, respectively.
While these two candidates moved on from the first round, expect turnout in this runoff to be low. Castillo and Fujimori are both incredibly unpopular, and almost 70% of voters in the first round voted for a different candidate or left their ballots blank entirely. Castillo is viewed by many as a leftist unknown, while Fujimori’s status as the heir to the Fujimori political dynasty – considered by many Peruvians as a dictatorship – makes her highly controversial.
Current polls indicate that Castillo holds a slim lead amongst all voters. While Fujimori maintains a commanding lead with urban voters in and around Lima, the rural vote will likely narrowly carry Castillo to victory. Running on a campaign of socialization and political change, expect Castillo to attempt to rewrite Peru’s constitution and nationalize the country’s mining, gas and oil industries if elected. However, his lack of a popular mandate will make any fundamental change difficult.
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