Who is Pedro Castillo, the leftist candidate and teacher who was surprised in the elections in Peru

A candidate who was not in the forecasts or in the map of the experts was the surprise during the presidential election this Sunday in Peru. This is the leftist politician Pedro Castillo, who – according to the exit poll – leads the vote in the Andean country followed by liberal economist Hernando de Soto and Keiko Fujimori.

Castillo, a 51-year-old union teacher, was born on September 19, 1951 in the province of Chota, department of Cajamarca. During his adolescence and youth he was part of a peasant organization in the town of Puña, where he was originally from. The rural cycle, as it was called, arose in response to the lack of state protection and to allow the population to protect themselves from terrorist groups such as the Shining Path and MRTA..

The leftist politician studied primary education at the Higher Pedagogical Institute Octavio Matta Contreras in Cutervo. Since 1995 he has worked as a teacher in Puña. In addition, he holds a master’s degree in educational psychology from César Vallejo University.

Castillo led strikes of educators and It was not until 2005, when he became a member of the Cajamarca Committee of the Peru Posible political party, that he fully began his career as a politician.

Castillo would go to the second round of the elections next June and the rival he will face remains to be defined, with the official results in the coming hours.

From his native region of Cajamarca, Castillo called for “peace and quiet in the city”, as his supporters set off fireworks and began to dance in the streets amidst a great bustle..

“I ask for calm, I ask my people for tranquility” because “it is true that there is an effervescence of the people, but we must be respectful with the official data”, he declared in statements to America News.

Castillo added that this “The expression of the people” shows that Peruvians “feel identified with a person born in the same city”.

“If the results are confirmed, I would like to thank each of the teachers in Peru,” concluded the now favorite in the elections.

If elected president, Castillo promises to modify the Constitution of Peru and thus be able to carry out an economic reform in which the State assumes a more prominent role in the market. In addition, his proposal also includes the nationalization of companies in economic sectors such as mining, oil, hydropower, gas and communications. This government plan worries certain sectors of the right and the center of the Andean country.

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