The conservative Keiko Fujimori will contest the presidency of Peru with the radical teacher Pedro Castillo

The candidate for the presidency of Peru, Keiko Fujimori, offers a speech on Sunday.John Reyes / EFE

At 90% of the official scrutiny of the votes for president in Peru, electoral specialists indicate that the trend is already set and it is a fact that Keiko Fujimori, the eldest daughter of the autocrat Alberto Fujimori, has gone to the June 6 ballot in Peru, against the union leader and rural teacher Pedro Castillo, who obtained 18.9%.

13.2% of voters opted for the candidate who has stood for the third time in the elections, this means 26 points less than her vote in 2016, according to data from the National Office of Electoral Processes.

Since the beginning of the campaign in January, the former congresswoman and leader of the Fuerza Popular party made few trips because the Government imposed restrictions on movement between regions due to the second wave of the new coronavirus, and because she is facing a tax investigation for money laundering on probation. assets, criminal organization and obstruction of justice.

The Public Ministry has extensively documented the alleged illegal receipt of funds for its electoral campaign in 2011 and 2016 by the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht (1.2 million dollars) and the main Peruvian financial group (3 million dollars).

On Sunday night, when it was clear that Castillo, a politician of the extreme left, populist and social conservative, was going to the second round, Fujimori called on the other two right-wing and 'heavy-handed' candidates like her, to close ranks against him.

He was referring to Rafael López Aliaga, a businessman belonging to Opus Dei, and the economist and former advisor of Alberto Fujimori, Hernando de Soto.

"A person, a name, a surname or a political party is not at stake here.

What is going to be chosen is a country model.

I invoke those who believe in a private investment model and do not want Peru to become Cuba or Venezuela, "said the 45-year-old politician during a brief message at her party's premises in the center of Lime.

"We are going to confront populism and the radical left.

And in that effort, I am sure that there will be many Peruvians and former presidential candidates who are going to join, ”he warned.

The political scientist Jorge Aragón considers that "Fujimorism once again shows an unusual resilience in the country," although he sees some wear and tear in its validity. "The Fujimori vote is quite small compared to the previous 2016 election. Keiko Fujimori could go on to vote. second round, but it is a rather modest election of electoral support.

To a great extent, it is that hard core Fujimori that has existed for several years and that is concentrated in certain regions of the country (such as Piura) ”, explains the researcher from the Institute of Peruvian Studies.

”The terms that Fujimorism represents or has represented in Peruvian politics have lost relevance in this campaign: now there are other issues that move voters and not so much Fujimorism or anti-Fujimorism: Fujimorism has not disappeared, but it has suffered a important contraction ”, notes Aragón.

For the university professor, the decline in support for Fujimori is based on “a widespread feeling that Fujimorism has thrown us into the political crisis of the last five years.

"Where does the link with hard Fujimorism lie?

As always, Alberto's achievements in his governments and the feeling that the country needs the leadership or political style that Fujimori represents ”, he highlights.

The Public Ministry has requested 30 years and ten months in prison for the leader of Fujimori, and somewhat lower penalties for 40 people from her environment and from her Popular Force party who participated in the illegal financing scheme.

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