Peru's Castillo builds election lead but Fujimori says won't concede yet
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[June 08, 2021]
By Marco Aquino and Marcelo Rochabrun
LIMA, Peru (Reuters) - Peruvian socialist
Pedro Castillo widened his lead against right-wing rival Keiko Fujimori
in the country's presidential vote on Monday, but she said she will not
concede yet and alleged "irregularities," although without showing much
proof.
The official count from Sunday's election showed outsider
candidate Castillo with 50.3% and Fujimori on 49.7%, with around 95% of
the vote counted. The leftist candidate had trailed overnight, but
started to take the lion's share of ballots as the count progressed, on
the back of a late surge of rural votes.
"There's a clear intention to boycott the will of the people," Fujimori
said at a press conference, in which she showed social media videos to
back her claims, and accused supporters of Castillo of stealing votes.
She also asked her base to bring forth new allegations, if they exist,
on social media.
Castillo's party, Free Peru, responded on Twitter that it "rejected" the
allegations.
Analysts had expected that a close result could lead to days of
uncertainty, tension and perhaps some level of unrest, but the claims
now add fuel to that scenario. Earlier on Monday, Castillo's party had
said it had also been the victim of attempts of fraud, without giving
specifics.
The vote underscored a sharp divide between the capital city Lima and
the nation's rural hinterland that has propelled Castillo's unexpected
rise.
Castillo, the son of peasant farmers, has pledged to shake up the Andean
nation's constitution and mining laws, spooking copper producers and
local markets, which fell sharply in trading on Monday as he gained in
the race.
"All we want right now is democracy, that everything be democratic. That
whoever wins, the other accepts it and doesn't start any trouble," said
Lili Rocha, a voter in Lima after some scuffles broke out overnight.
As results trickled in on Sunday evening, 51-year-old Castillo had
rallied supporters to "defend the vote" when an exit poll had shown him
behind, though he later called for calm.
Fujimori, 46, the daughter of ex-president Alberto Fujimori, who is in
prison for human rights abuses and corruption, also appealed for
"prudence, calm and peace from both groups."
Castillo's Free Peru party said on Twitter that the candidate, who had
been in his northern rural home district to vote, had traveled to Lima
to "safeguard the will of the people", though a planned press conference
was later called off.
'HEIGHTENED UNCERTAINTY'
J.P. Morgan said in a note that it could be days before the final
outcome of the election was clear, and the two candidates might opt to
wait for this process to finish before declaring victory or conceding
defeat.
An unofficial fast count late on Sunday by Ipsos Peru had given Castillo
a fractional lead, after an exit poll had said rival Fujimori would eke
out a win, leaving the copper-rich country, investors and mining firms
guessing.
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Peru's presidential candidate Pedro Castillo gestures to supporters
the day after a run-off election, in Lima, Peru June 7, 2021.
REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda
The latest data showed Castillo with 8.55 million
votes to Fujimori's 8.46 million. The slower-to-count rural vote has
helped Castillo's late charge, though uncounted overseas ballots
could still boost Fujimori.
"Unless the too-close-to-call scenario depicted by the quick count
proves wrong, we seem poised for a number of days of heightened
uncertainty ahead," J.P. Morgan said.
Castillo's sudden rise to prominence since winning the first-round
vote in April has unnerved markets and spooked mining firms
concerned over plans to sharply hike taxes on mineral profits and
threats of nationalizations.
Analysts say, however, that whoever wins will have a weakened
mandate given the sharp divisions in Peru, and will face a
fragmented Congress with no one party holding a majority,
potentially stalling any major reforms.
The two candidates pledged vastly different remedies for a country
that went through three presidents in a week last year and has
suffered a sharp economic slump brought on by the world's deadliest
per capita COVID-19 outbreak.
Fujimori has pledged to follow the free-market model and maintain
economic stability in Peru, the world's second largest copper
producer, with a "a mother's firm hand".
Castillo, who has become a champion for the poor, has promised to
redraft the constitution to strengthen the role of the state and
take a larger portion of profits from mining firms.
Street vendor Natalia Flores said she had not voted for either
candidate but was hopeful that whoever won would lead the country
beyond the recent political turmoil and the pandemic.
"Whoever comes out ahead, I think they'll have to do a good job
because in Peru the issue of the pandemic is terrible for us
economically. Work is unstable," she said.
"Whether it's Mr. Castillo, or Ms. Keiko (Fujimori), I hope they do
a good job over the next five years."
(Reporting by Marco Aquino in Lima and Marcelo Rochabrun in
Tacabamba; Additional reporting by Reuters TV; Writing by Aislinn
Laing and Adam Jourdan; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Alistair Bell and
Marguerita Choy)
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