All votes counted, but fraud allegations delay election results in Peru

The words peace and stability were therefore frequently heard in election campaigns, but so far, little seems to have come out of them. The elections and the result-haggling underscore the divisions that already existed, analysts said.

city ​​vs. country

Pedro Castillo is a former schoolteacher with no political experience. His supporters live mainly in the countryside, in small villages of the Andes cordillera where there is great poverty. Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of former President Albert Fujimori who is in jail for embezzling millions of dollars, has many supporters in urban middle class and elite areas.

Fujimori herself is also involved in a corruption case for which she faces 30 years in prison, and has already spent 13 months in pre-trial detention. She is now contesting 500,000 votes cast in rural areas. This to the anger of Castillo and his supporters. If she becomes president, she will be protected from prosecution during her five-year term.

Horror image Venezuela

Castillo wants 10% of GDP to be spent on education. Now it’s 3.5 percent. He also wants to conclude new tax treaties with mining companies. Peru is one of the largest producers of copper in the world, but common people see far too little of it, says Castillo.

Opponents fear higher taxes will hurt the economy and paint the specter of Cuba and Venezuela if Castillo comes to power. However, his more moderate economic adviser Pedro Francke said Castillo had no plans to nationalize the companies.

Fujimori seems unlikely to be named president after all. Independent observers from the Organization of American States (OAS) said they found “no serious irregularities” in the election. Yet the OAS is hesitant: “The candidates should not be declared the winners until all challenges have been resolved.