After nine days of waiting, the counting of the presidential ballots in Peru is finished, Tuesday, June 15.

The left-wing candidate, Pedro Castillo, leads the election with 50.12% of the vote against 49.87% for Keiko Fujimori, or about 45,000 votes ahead for the teacher and unionist of 51 years, according to the last official count covering 100% of the ballots.

Instead of celebrating his victory, Pedro Castillo rejected calls to cancel the ballot for "fraud" launched by supporters of his right-wing opponent Keiko Fujimori.

"They keep calling for the annulment of the election," Castillo told the foreign press at his party's headquarters in Lima, in an allusion to supporters of Ms. Fujimori who have called in recent days to cancel the election. second round of June 6.

"We are patiently awaiting the result," added the candidate of the radical left, while the electoral authority continues to examine the appeals, filed mainly by the daughter of ex-president Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000).

The rate of participation in the poll, described as "positive" and without "serious irregularities" by the electoral observation mission of the Organization of American States (OAS), reached 74.5% according to the electoral authorities in this country where voting is compulsory.

Doubts expressed on the transparency of the second round of the presidential election

But Ms. Fujimori, 46, who is in the crosshairs of justice for a corruption case, denounces "fraud" and demanded the invalidation of tens of thousands of ballots.

On Monday, a retired MP and admiral, Jorge Montoya, called for the election to be canceled and for "new elections to be held with international observers", saying the Peruvian electoral system "no longer offers confidence".

Mr. Montoya is one of 64 retired generals and admirals who, in agreement with Keiko Fujimori, questioned the transparency of the presidential runoff.

The Defense Ministry said in a statement that this group of retired officers "does not represent the armed forces".

Former right-wing parliamentarian Victor Andrés Garcia Belaunde warned on television on Sunday about the uncertainty surrounding the ballot, adding that if the counting process were to continue until July 28, the expiration date Under the tenure of interim president Francisco Sagasti, the head of the new parliament could assume the presidency and call new elections.

"I think we should not rush and even less use inappropriate words like 'fraud' and wait for the results calmly," urged, for his part, Mr. Sagasti.

"Democracy has rules and deadlines that we must all respect," however, Cardinal Pedro Barreto warned Tuesday on RPP radio about calls for the cancellation of the elections.

The Catholic Church "is available" for mediation once the official results are announced, he added.

Daily demonstrations from both camps

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, called on Monday for "calm to avoid new social fractures" in the country of 33 million inhabitants.

No date has yet been given for the announcement of the final results and the electoral authority is under pressure from supporters of the two candidates who demonstrate daily in front of its premises in Lima.

Dozens of supporters of the right-wing candidate also meet every day in front of the homes of the presidents of the National Electoral Office (ONPE) in charge of organizing the poll and of the National Electoral Jury (JNE) in charge of examining disputes. and recourse.

"Such a call for new elections shows that we want to provoke violence," regretted to the foreign press the candidate for the vice-presidency of Mr. Castillo, Dina Boluarte.

"The position taken by a right-wing group is seditious, but the country is calm," analyst Hugo Otero, former adviser to former social democratic president Alan Garcia, told AFP.

With AFP

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