Former teacher Pedro Castillo was sworn in on Wednesday July 28 as the new president of Peru, saying he wanted to put an end to corruption in the country and launch a process for a new Constitution.
Read also: Trade unionist Pedro Castillo elected president in Peru
"
I swear before God, before my family, the peasants, the indigenous peoples (...), the fishermen, the doctors, the children, the adolescents that I will exercise my office of President of the Republic
", declared the new left-wing president in front of Parliament.
"
I swear to the people of Peru, for a country without corruption and for a new Constitution,
" he added, wearing a black Andean costume and wearing his now famous white hat.
He then received the two-tone scarf from the hands of the new President of Parliament, the centrist opponent Maria del Carmen Alva.
The swearing-in of the new left-wing president takes place on the day the Andean country of 33 million people celebrates the bicentenary of its independence.
Festivities are scheduled until Friday.
King Felipe VI of Spain, six presidents of the region, US Secretary of State for Education Miguel Cardona and former Bolivian leader Evo Morales were present at the ceremony.
"
Pedro Castillo's biggest challenge is going to be not to disappoint people who need quick answers because they no longer have a job, are hungry or risk their lives due to Covid-19
", stressed to AFP analyst Hugo Otero.
"
Ruled by a peasant
"
Peru has been dramatically affected by the coronavirus epidemic, with more than 195,000 dead, the highest death rate in the world relative to the population.
Long months of confinement in 2020 caused the loss of two million jobs and a drop in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2020 of 11.12%.
The 51-year-old former trade unionist, who has spent his entire career in a rural school in the north of the country, was only officially declared the winner of the second round of the June 6 presidential election ten days ago. The multiplication of appeals by his opponent, the candidate of the populist right, Keiko Fujimori, in this particularly tight ballot, had delayed the proclamation of the results by several weeks.
"
This is the first time that this country will be ruled by a peasant
", also declared Pedro Castillo during his first speech as head of state. “
During the election campaign, we said we were going to expropriate. This is totally wrong. We want the economy to be in order,
”he continued, in a new attempt to reassure business circles who fear a possible radical turn to the left in this country marked by twenty-five years of ultra-economic policies. -liberal.
Friday, Pedro Castillo had already ruled out any inclination to copy foreign “
models
”, insisting that he was neither “
Chavist
” nor “
Communist
”, in reference to the powers in place in Caracas and Havana.
Campaign polarization
On Monday, Pedro Castillo also received a call from the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, who congratulated him and told him to expect "
a constructive role
" from him concerning relations with Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. .
Read also: Peru: Keiko Fujimori disputes his announced defeat in the presidential election
The future president's room for maneuver remains a challenge, after a campaign polarized between two extremes and a five-year term marked by strong institutional instability which has seen three presidents succeed one another in one week at the end of 2020. “
Pedro Castillo must position himself quickly as president of all Peruvians and not like that of half the population,
”said political scientist Jessica Smith to AFP.
A week ago, this novice in politics, who should quickly announce the names of the members of his government, had launched an appeal for all goodwill.
"
We appeal to all specialists, the most qualified and most committed people for the country
" to join the team of the new government, he said.
The new president will have to work with a fragmented Parliament, where no less than ten parties are represented. His Peru Free party holds the most seats (37), but without an absolute majority, and that of his opponent, Fuerza Popular, 24.
