Castillo and Fujimori Advance in Peruvian Presidential Elections

Presidential Candidates Pedro Castillo & Keiko Fujimori will compete in the upcoming second round of elections (Wikimedia Commons;Wikimedia Commons).

Pedro Castillo of Perú Libre (Freedom Peru) and Keiko Fujimori of Fuerza Popular (Popular Force) will move through to the second round in the 2021 Peruvian presidential elections. Despite Keiko Fujimori’s long political career, Pedro Castillo Castillo led at 19.1 percent compared with Fujimori’s 13.4 percent. 

Keiko Fujimori is the daughter of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, who is currently serving a 25-years sentence for human rights violations during his presidency. Her 2021 campaign, which got underway shortly after Fujimori’s release from preventative prison for money laundering, represents her third attempt to secure the presidency. Fujimori plans to broaden the taxpayer base to assure retirement pensions for more individuals. Keiko’s proposals, meanwhile, involve reforming employment entirely by creating an alliance between private companies and the government to facilitate employment in every region of the country. 

Castillo works as an elementary school teacher who defines himself as a leftist Marxist. He currently leads in the polls. Castillo aims to unite the “discontent of many poor Peruvians that have been historically forgotten from the center of the capital.” Castillo’s agenda would not, though, legalize abortion, same-sex marriage, or euthanasia.

Castillo received more than 2.5 million votes in Amazonas, Ayacucho, Huancavelica, Puno, and Apurímac, all regions on the outskirts of Lima. Deeply affected by COVID-19, these areas lack the infrastructure to combat the virus. Moreover, in rural areas, market factors dictate healthcare prices, rendering it unaffordable for most. Many Indigenous people ultimately have to turn to international aid. 

Huancavelica and Ayacucho are two of the most impoverished regions of Peru and provided more than 50 percent of the votes for Castillo. In an interview with El Comercio, Alejandro Huamán, an Ayacucho farmer, mentioned that because Castillo had farmed, he knows what life is like for rural laborers. Castillo’s remark that “the poor keep getting poorer and the rich keep getting richer” resonated profusely within these communities. 

The second election round will take place on June 6 and will determine the next president of Peru.