Respect for the popular will and democracy in Peru
On Sunday, June 6, 2021, the Peruvian people elected Professor Pedro Castillo as their next president, defeating Keiko Fujimori, the candidate backed by all the powerful groups. Because Pedro Castillo is a union leader who has promised radical changes, the right wing has launched a campaign to reject the election results, alleging fraud. This is despite the fact that the electoral institutions guaranteed clean and transparent elections, a fact recognized by electoral observation missions from the OAS, COPPAL, Transparency International, and others.
The vote count is nearing completion, and the irreversible results indicate Professor Pedro Castillo as the winner, meaning Peru should proclaim a new president this week. However, with the backing of wealthy law firms, Fujimori's party has belatedly challenged nearly 200 votes, mostly from rural areas, with the clear intention of undermining the popular will. Right-wing representatives and the media are spreading fake news daily and even proposing illegal and dictatorial measures to prevent Castillo from assuming the presidency.
We express our concern about the political situation in Peru. Electoral institutions and their decisions must be respected and accepted before, during, and after elections. The harassment from the right against electoral authorities and the campaign of intimidation being waged against several public figures with hateful messages are worrying. This is compounded by racist attacks against Professor Castillo and derogatory comments based on his ethnicity, social status, or regional origin. The universal and secret vote of each and every Peruvian citizen must also be respected, regardless of their ethnic and/or geographic origin. The foundation of democracy is precisely equality before the law and the right of all to elect and be elected.
We condemn the maneuvers of the right wing and powerful groups seeking to disregard the election results and force a scenario favorable to their ends. This situation generates instability and polarization to delegitimize the incoming government of President-elect Pedro Castillo, who came to power on a platform of changes for the benefit of the majority.
We stand in solidarity with the Peruvians who legitimately exercised their right to vote and whose results are now being challenged by those who do not respect the rules of the democratic process. Just weeks away from celebrating the bicentennial of their independence from colonial power, the Peruvian people deserve to write their history with dignity, sovereignty, and full respect for the popular will expressed at the ballot box.
Adherences: [email protected]
June 16th, 2021
CLACSO Working Group
Disputed states
Popular economies: theoretical and practical mapping
Critical Studies of Rural Development
Autonomies, territories and memories: geopolitics in disputea
Adhesions
UBACyT Research Project: State, New Municipalism and Prefigurative Politics in Latin America UBA
Academic Committee of the Institute of Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, UBA
Research Project on the State, Popular Movements and Hegemony in Latin America FCPyS, UNCuyo
This statement expresses the position of the Working Group Disputed states and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.
