Thousands rally in the streets of Peru against Keiko Fujimori
According to the Datum agency, the candidate Pedro Castillo would have a small lead over Keiko Fujimori of 4.9 % of the votes, the election day will be held in two weeks. This weekend Peruvians took to the streets for what they called "the defence of democracy" and against the presidential candidacy of Keiko Fujimori. The anti-Fujimorismo gathered in more than twenty cities throughout the country, and in some of the most important capitals of the world, under the slogan "For Peru, Keiko does not go". The second round of the presidential elections will be held on 6 June and Fujimori needs the undecided vote, which is around 9.1% of the electorate, in order to win.
The anti-Fujimorista campaign was organised by a coalition of activists, trade unions, victims' families, students and representatives of cultural organisations, who define themselves as a movement that "is not willing to return to Fujimorism". Keiko's father is Alberto Fujimori, former president of Peru from 1990 to 2000, who is currently sentenced for crimes against humanity committed during his government. During the rallies, demonstrators used posters with pictures of former president Fujimori's victims, and the mobilisation called on citizens to vote "for the memory of the victims".
Pedro is decent, Keiko is a criminal" was shouted at the demonstrations, which were held in Cusco, Cajamarca, Ayacucho, Arequipa and Piura, while the Peruvian diaspora was concentrated in countries such as Germany, Australia, Brazil, Chile, the United States, France, Holland and England. However, the most emblematic demonstration took place in the capital, Lima, where thousands of people gathered in the Plaza San Martin at 16:00 local time in Peru, walking through the streets of the old part of the city, where they joined the protesters in front of the Palace of Justice, who were there because they were victims of forced sterilisations during Fujimori's mandate. For several years, the Peruvian public prosecutor's office has been investigating the conservative candidate, who is accused of money laundering, criminal organisation and obstruction of justice linked to the corruption case of the Brazilian giant Odebrecht, during the presidential campaign of 2011 and 2016.
"We cannot deny justice to the people who have been murdered and sterilised by Fujimorism. We have to remember: we cannot allow people to govern us who refuse to recognise these facts... I am against her candidacy because if she wins, Keiko Fujimori will not only hinder the judicial process, but she will pardon her father and the judicial processes could be altered", a demonstrator commented to the newspaper El País.
It should be remembered that on 11 April last, the general elections were held, where the new representatives of the legislative branch were elected, and it was the first round of the presidential elections. In the legislative elections, the most voted political force was "Peru Libre", where they obtained several seats in Congress, but not enough to reach a simple majority, they will have to make agreements to get bills through and their great campaign proposal, a new Constitution. The new Congress will be fragmented into 11 political parties, which will impose a new modality within the legislative branch. The second most voted party was "Fuerza Popular", Fujimori's political platform.
Fujimori left a message on social networks, celebrating her brother's birthday, where she mentions how complicated it has been to unite politics with family, "our life changed abruptly and was never normal again. We lived through beautiful moments and other very difficult ones. Politics also separated us, but God took us to extreme situations that ended up bringing us together again, this time for good. This time for good. Happy birthday, Kenjini!
