Mario Vargas Llosa: from fighting Alberto Fujimori to supporting his daughter Keiko for the ballot in Peru

04/18/2021 1:23 PM

• Clarín.com

• World

Updated 04/18/2021 1:23 PM

"I thank and salute the support of the writer Mario Vargas Llosa because at this time we are not only facing the pandemic and hunger,

but we are also facing communism

," said the candidate for the presidency of Peru, Keiko Fujimori (Popular Force, right ).

"I have thanked him for his support and I have told him of my absolute commitment, as I have been doing for many years in my political career, with democracy, with freedom of expression and the independence of powers," he added.

Fujimori -daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori, who in 1992 launched a self-coup, collapsed Congress and the Judiciary and is currently sentenced to prison- remarked that at this time differences and discrepancies should be put aside, as published by the newspaper

El Commerce.

The right-wing candidate emphasized that a possible victory for

Pedro Castillo

- her contender in the ballot, leader of Peru Libre (left) - would imply

"the entry of Venezuela's 21st century socialism into our country

."

Pedro Castillo, presidential candidate for Peru Libre.

Photo DPA

"He (for Vargas Llosa, NDR) has expressed to me his concern about the candidacy of Mr. Castillo, as he has pointed out in his column, as many even the merchants are concerned and have expressed their rejection of a possible entry of communism, because the Communism means what is happening in Venezuela, "he added.

From the banana seller cooperative Tupac Amaru, in the San Luis district, Fujimori insisted last night that Peru is not only facing the Covid-19 pandemic and "hunger" at the moment, but also "communism."

Vargas Llosa -Nobel Prize for Literature in 2010- considered that citizens should vote in favor of the presidential candidate of Fuerza Popular, in the second round to be held on June 6.

In a column published in the Mexican newspaper

Crónica

, titled

"Peering into the abyss,"

the Peruvian novelist described the results of the general elections held on Sunday April 11 in Peru as

"a surprise for everyone

.

"

"I have fought Fujimori (a movement led by Alberto Fujomori, NDR) in a systematic way, as I have done with all dictatorships on the left or right, but I believe that in the upcoming elections,

Peruvians should vote for Keiko Fujimori"

, wrote.

And he stressed that the right-wing candidate, who is accused by the prosecution of her country for allegedly founding a criminal association and for money laundering, "represents the lesser evil and there is, with her in power, more possibilities to save our democracy,

whereas with Pedro Castillo I don't see any

".

Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori.

Photo DPA

The writer has been for decades a staunch rival of former president Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000), who defeated him in the 1990 Peruvian elections, and has maintained an open stance of

rejection of the political proposal of his daughter

Keiko, who is running for the third time to the Peruvian presidency.

Castillo proposes "quite contradictory" ideas, although these "as a general rule" are

"of the extreme left in the economic field

, and of the extreme right in the social field, since it is against gay marriages, sex education in schools and abortion" .

After questioning his economic proposals, which include the nationalization and nationalization of companies and strategic economic sectors, Vargas Llosa said that if this is the society he is proposing to create, "it

is obvious that it will have all the characteristics of a communist society

."

And he warned that "this will probably mean a short-term military coup in Peru, by right-wing or left-wing military men" which, as he remarked, "will set the country back barbarically and will impoverish it much more than it is."

Source: ANSA

PB

Look also

Who is Pedro Castillo, the Marxist teacher and against gender equality who can be president of Peru

Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of a ruthless authoritarian who seeks to come to power for the third time