Swinging Between Extremes: The Case of Peruvian Elections
The history of elections in Latin America has gone through periods of varying political philosophies. Previously, there have been left-leaning governments such as Rafael Correa's in Ecuador or Evo Morales's in Bolivia. More recently, there has been a rise in right-leaning governments such as Bolsonaro's in Brazil or Pinera in Chile. A pattern seems to arise where governments of the right follow left-leaning governments. The swings from the left may have been fueled by corruption scandals (World Politics Review, 2021) or failure to activate the economy. Under these historical circumstances, presidential elections are being held in Peru. Both candidates represent extremes on political ideologies.
Latin American countries have very polarized groups among their population due to the high levels of inequality in the region. On the list of the 20 most unequal countries in the world, eight are in Latin America. While some have access to education and job opportunities, others lack even essential services. Thirty percent of the population in Latin America lives beneath the poverty line (CSIS, 2020). The core of the election argument is on deciding which political model would ensure growth for most of the population. People on the right would argue that country projects of the left, such as Venezuela and Cuba, did not work. The Cuban revolution didn’t provide the development promised by Castro; Hugo Chavez legacy has led his country to poverty and to massive immigration. People on the left would say that the bridge of inequality has risen since the right-leaning governments took power.
The contemporary history of Peru shows that instability has arisen due to not having representatives who can agree on a middle ground across the different ideologies and political parties that exist. Peru has endured four other presidents since Pedro Pablo Kuczynski won the elections in 2016. The political party of Keiko Fujimori led the efforts to impeach Kuczynski. A video released by Keiko's party Fuerza Popular showed vital allies of the president offering lawmakers a share of public work projects to help overturn the second impeachment vote against Kuczynski (The Guardian, 2018). Right after that, Vice President Martin Vizcarra took power. Although it seemed to be an adequate transition, his presidency was also dirtied by scandals and corruption cases. The opposing parties in Congress cited accusations of corruption and his handling of the pandemic (The guardian, 2018). After President Vizcarra's impeachment, the President of Congress, Manuel Merino, was supposed to assume office. However, the country opposed his rise to power following his early withdrawal of the presidency after only six days; Peruvians demanded the pick of a person with a clear record and voted against the impeachment of Vizcarra (New York Times, 2020). Congress chose the new and current president Francisco Sagasti, a member of the only political party that voted against the impeachment of former president Vizcarra.
These are the current political conditions in Peru. For a period of time, the polls in Peru had five leading candidates, with each encapsulating the different ideologies of Peruvian society. The center-left was represented by the lawyer Yonhy Lescano, the center-right with the economist Hernando de Soto, and a less clear center with the former goalkeeper George Forsyth The conservative right was represented by the businessman Rafael Aliaga; the left represented by the former congresswoman Veronica Mendoza and the far-right with the U.S educated empress of the Fujimori dynasty Keiko Fujimori (America Economia, 2021).
The first round of presidential elections, also commemorating the 200 years of funding of Peru, was on the eleventh of April. The results were quite surprising. Keiko Fujimori and teacher Pedro Castillo,who throughout the electoral campaign did not even appear on the polls- have passed to the second round of the elections. This result highlighted the lack of outreach done by the majority of the presidential candidates in the regions that are far from the capital. Castillo’s base is predominantly from rural towns across the country, and despite gathering in large crowds, they do not receive very much attention from the national media (New York Times, 2021). A long-known tradition followed by candidates running for office is to focus their campaigns almost exclusively in Lima. Pedro Castillo is considered by some far left and extremist. To some, he may be the solution to fix the inequality in the country and level the social ground that has offered little opportunities to a majority of the country for others.To others, he represents the possibility of losing years of economic growth and loss of freedoms.
His discourse has captured the imagination of a significant sector of the population who does not feel represented by mainstream politicians and are tired, frustrated, and fed up due to the conditions of Peruvian politics now (The New York Times, 2021). The image of an outsider appeals to most of these voters. However, many people with more conservative views on economics fear his plans to nationalize the country's natural resources and a new constitution. On the other side, the Fujimori legacy is still very present for most Peruvian voters. The defeat of terrorism and the economic improvement that happened under the Fujimori era is a memory darkened by the corruption scandals that occurred under his regime. Keiko Fujimori, who is making her third bid for president, has been in jail three times in recent years. The allegations against her are related to an ongoing money-laundering probe (New York Times, 2021). Now, the Peruvian people face the complicated decision to vote for Keiko, daughter of Fujimori; or to vote for Pedro Castillo. He has spoken openly about his plans to restrict international investment and trade (The Atlantic, 2021). For many, Castillo represents a throwback to Chavez. Many people fear the possibility of erasing years of economic development.
Nevertheless, Fujimori has a significant opposition across the country, and many have not forgotten her party's role in increasing political instability over the last five years. It seems that at this stage, the winner would be the one who can conciliate the rest of the parties and the minds and hearts of the Peruvian elector. Will it be that Pedro Castillo changes to a more moderate message, or will it be that Keiko is forgiven for the obscure past of his father and her negative role in the modern politics of Peruvian history? Only time can tell what the Peruvian society will decide.
Work Cited:
Brendan O’Boyle | August 19, 2020. (2020, August 24). This Soccer Star Could Be Peru's Next President. Americas Quarterly. https://americasquarterly.org/article/this-soccer-star-could-be-perus-next-president/.
Covid-19 Exposes Latin America's Inequality. Covid-19 Exposes Latin America's Inequality | Center for Strategic and International Studies. (2021, April 8). https://www.csis.org/analysis/covid-19-exposes-latin-americas-inequality.
Frum, D. (2021, May 15). The Collapse of a Once-Promising Democracy. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/05/peru-fujimori-castillo/618898/.
Kurmanaev, A., & Taj, M. (2020, November 15). Peru's President Steps Down After Just 6 Days, Leaving Country Adrift. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/15/world/americas/peru-president-resigns.html.
Perú elige este domingo a su próximo presidente: conozca a los candidatos con más chance y sus propuestas. AméricaEconomía. (n.d.). https://www.americaeconomia.com/politica-sociedad/politica/peru-elige-este-domingo-su-proximo-presidente-conozca-los-candidatos-con.
Taj, M. (2021, April 12). Peru Election for the 5th President in 5 Years Goes to Runoff. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/12/world/americas/peru-Pedro-Castillo.html.
