Why Peru’s next leader was elected by a less than 1 percent margin
Free and fair elections, robust growth rates, a dramatic reduction in poverty — no one claimed Peruvian governance was perfect, but these accomplishments put it ahead of the South American pack. This stability also exempted Peru from the “pink tide” that swept leftist candidates to power across most of South America in the 2000s.
Not any longer. In last Sunday’s runoff, Pedro Castillo, the candidate of the far-left Perú Libre party, appeared to eke out the narrowest of victories — a margin of less than 1 percent — over right-wing Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of Peru’s last strongman. Fujimori alleged fraud and irregularities, although international observers described the vote as free and fair.… Seguir leyendo »