Keiko Fujimori, on the verge of a nervous breakdown

The presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori played out in an incredible transformation in just twenty-four hours. He went through the leaps of joy, tears and hugs he shared with his family when he heard the mouth of the urn that gave him a slight edge, at seven o’clock on Sunday night; with a funeral face, Monday evening at seven o’clock, when he reappeared to denounce “indications of electoral fraud”. A few minutes earlier, the official count had been reversed in favor of his competitor, leftist Pedro Castillo.

Peruvians recalled that the last time a large-scale electoral fraud was recorded to change the direction of the vote, it was during the 2000 presidential elections, in which Alberto Fujimori is running for a third presidential term.

International observers confirmed that Fujimorism controlled the electoral bodies and thus was able to handle scrutiny It was also discovered that the regime had allocated millions of dollars in public resources to finance the campaign of Keiko Fujimori’s father.

The big difference is that neither the candidate Pedro Castillo, a peasant and rural teacher who does not live in the capital, Lima, but in the poor province of the North Andes of Chota, nor his party, Peru Libre, of very recent foundation and of provincial origin, they don’t have enough funds as if to mount a vast electoral fraud necessary to fraudulently twist the will of the voters.

But at the press conference, Keiko Fujimori introduced Peru Libre and its competitor Pedro Castillo as organized machinery manipulate electoral records and filter the votes marked in their favor.

What is striking is that the candidate Fujimori did not file a complaint for alleged fraud with the electoral authorities, which corresponds, as noted by the former head of the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE ), Fernando Tuesta.

Peru Libre vice-presidential candidate Dina Boluarte rejected Fujimori’s accusations: “I reject Fujimori’s accusations of alleged electoral fraud. Unlike them, it’s not something that characterizes us. Yesterday he mentioned that he would respect the results, but today the reality seems to be different.

At seven in the morning on Tuesday, the ONPE reported that 96.7% of the cases processed, Castillo retains the lead with 50.2% against 49.7% Fujimori, which is a difference of 86,875 votes. Whatever the outcome, Castillo and Fujimori will lead a very divided country.

If Castillo wins

In the event that Pedro Castillo assumes the presidency, he will find a Congress practically against. Out of a total of 130 legislators, Fuerza Popular, Keiko Fujimori’s party, will have 24 representatives, to which must be added the parliamentarians of the political parties that support the Fujimori candidate: Alliance for Progress (15) and Renovation Popular (13). The opposition to Castillo would add 52 deputies to the 37 of Free Peru.

The definition of right-wing Popular Action congressmen, who are 16 years old, will be decisive. The most recent precedent on the performance of this former conservative party is that it received the support of the Fujimori representation to dismiss President Martín Vizcarra on November 9, 2020, and appoint one of its parliamentarians, Manuel Merino, to replace him. .

Due to protests against Popular Action’s actions, in less than a week, Merino had to resign.

It would therefore not be surprising that Action Populaire joins forces with Force Populaire, so that opposition to leftist Castillo would reach 68 members of Congress.

In addition, Force Populaire and Action Populaire share the experience of having heads of state dismissed who disagree with Congress. In 2018, the Fujimori majority removed Pedro Pablo Kuczynski from power; and in 2020, acciopopulistas and fujimoristas were part of the defenestration of Martín Vizcarra. Castillo is more than warned.

Not like Keiko

Keiko Fujimori you will also find a very difficult country govern: out of the 25 regions, the national territory won 9. In the 16 others, Pedro Castillo obtained votes still above 80%, especially in very poor areas, hard hit by the new coronavirus pandemic.

Support for the vote in favor of Keiko Fujimori is in Lima and in coastal regions enjoying economic growth, for which it is necessary to win over the disadvantaged provinces, even in some localities their presence during the presidential campaign was rejected.

What probably worries the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori the most is that she would rule in the midst of Legal proceedings for organized crime, money laundering, obstruction of justice and lying.

The Lava Jato Case Special Team demanded 30 years and 10 months in prison for them for receiving US $ 17.3 million of illicit origin for the financing of its 2011 and 2017 campaigns. This amount includes the million US dollars given to it by the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht.

Although the trial against him is suspended during his possible tenure, the case will continue against her husband, Mark Vito Villanella, for whom the prosecution requested 22 years and 8 months in prison, and also against his main collaborators of Fuerza Popular – who face prison terms of 30 to 20 years -, which will disrupt his government.

We cannot lose sight of the fact that the eventual triumph of Keiko Fujimori would make her a the sixth head of state punctuated by Odebrecht’s mega-corruption scandal: Alejandro Toledo (2001-2006), Alan García (2006-2011), Ollanta Humala (2011-2016), Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (2016-2018) and Martín Vizcarra (2018) -2020).

Winning the presidency will give Keiko Fujimori a five-year respite, but that won’t prevent him from facing the courts after his possible term in 2026. And if he loses, nothing should prevent him from being brought to justice.

Lima, special for Clarin

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