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Pedro Castillo: "A new era has begun"
Photo: SEBASTIAN CASTANEDA / REUTERS
The official final result is still pending.
Now the socialist Pedro Castillo has declared himself the winner after the runoff election for the presidency in Peru.
"A new era has begun", Castillo wrote on Twitter to a picture of himself with arms raised and the word "President" and his campaign slogan "No more poor in a rich country".
He also added "President-Elect of the Republic of Peru (2021-2026)" to his profile on the short message service.
After all votes have been counted, Castillo is in the lead: He comes to 50.125 percent and is only 44.058 votes in the country with around 33 million inhabitants, ahead of his conservative rival Keiko Fujimori with 49.875 percent, as the election commission announced on Tuesday.
Fujimori has, however, raised allegations of election fraud and tried to take legal action to have some votes declared invalid.
So far, she has not provided any clear evidence for her allegations.
Castillo's Free Peru Party has denied the fraud allegations.
International observers in Lima stated that the elections were transparent.
Rival Fujimori targeted by the public prosecutor
Fujimori has been in custody several times in recent years on charges of corruption.
Last week the public prosecutor applied for remand against the right-wing populist politician.
You have violated your requirements, it said last Thursday in the reason.
46-year-old Fujimori is a well-known figure in Peruvian politics.
She ran for the third time, despite being hated by many voters.
Like her father, former president Alberto Fujimori, she was charged with several corruption scandals, and she was imprisoned for a good year and a half.
She denies the allegations.
The sudden rise of 51-year-old former teacher Castillo has shaken the political and economic elite of Peru and could have a major impact on the vital mining industry of the world's second largest copper producer.
Castillo plans large tax increases for the sector.
asc / Reuters
