Blog Post #6—Presidential Election

When I arrived in Peru, the election for the country’s next president was underway. Two candidates, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Keiko Fujimori competed for the prize. Kuczynski, born in Peru to German immigrant parents has a long list of credentials in economics, including a time with the World Bank. Fujimori, Japanese-Peruvian, is the daughter of former president, Alberto Fujimori, who is in jail for crimes against humanity. (He's also the guy when he fled the country the country to avoid prosecution, was spotted at the airport  packing multiple suitcases reportedly filled with millions of US dollars.) As best I’ve learned she has no other significant qualifications for the office. Corruption seems to run in the family

Both are from right of center political parties. After more than 17,141,007 votes had been cast and counted, Kuczynski was declared the winner with only 40,000 votes more than Keiko, as she’s known. As the votes were counted, she was in disbelief that she was not leading. Cuscans told me she thought she had bought enough votes to easily coast into victory.

When Corina, one of the owners of the school I’m attending, arrived at the polling station to cast her vote, she was handed a ballot already completed with Keiko’s name. She complained to stern looking election judges who were not happy about her protest. She stared them down until they gave her a clean, unmarked ballot. She then voted for Kuczynski.     

Not sure why, but this seems fitting. 

Note third from the left.