Castillo receives credentials, new gov’t of Peru ready to take office

By David Blanco Bonilla

Lima, Jul 23 (EFE).- The new government of Peru is ready to assume full functions next week after the official delivery of credentials to President-elect Pedro Castillo and vice president Dina Boluarte, while 130 new congressmen were sworn in.

The leftist Castillo, a 51-year-old rural teacher and trade unionist who defeated the right-wing Keiko Fujimori in the second round of the presidential election, on Friday received his credentials as head of state for 2021-2026 in a ceremony organized by the National Jury of Elections (NJE).

“For me this is an honor (…) I swear not to disappoint,” said an emotional Castillo as he received the documents from NJE President José Luis Salas, who also presented credentials to Boluarte.

In a speech, Castillo thanked the Peruvian people for the trust placed in him and in his party, Peru Libre, and also “the strenuous effort of the National Elections Jury.”

He assured that on Wednesday, July 28, he will assume the presidency “to enforce the role within the framework of governance, respecting the institutional framework” and the constitution, which he said, “should be left to be evaluated by Peruvians.”

The president-elect, who the Peruvian right accuse of being communist, also “flatly” rejected wanting to introduce government “models from other countries.”

“We are not Chavistas, we are not communists, we are not extremists, much less are we terrorists. We are going to fight terrorism, wherever it comes from,” he said.

He appealed for unity and summoned his compatriots, including his political opponents, to help implement “the true Peruvian model, thinking about its diversity, its culture.”

Castillo said he will fight for all to “have the same opportunities.”

During the ceremony, the president of the NJE defended the legality and transparency of the electoral process, in the face of criticism from Fujimori and her political allies.

Castillo was proclaimed winner of the second presidential round on Monday, a month and a half after the election, after a barrage of legal challenges presented by his rival to prevent his defeat.

“Unfortunately, the discourse of fear and fraud has been installed in a sector of the citizenry, which was disseminated in a coordinated and efficient manner, and with this, the country’s institutions have been damaged,” Salas said.

He assured, however, that the electoral bodies have “resisted and responded in the best and only way we can: with our work.”

During the morning, 130 new congressmen elected on Apr. 11 were also sworn in during a private ceremony.

From the beginning of the day, it was evident that the coming subject of confrontation and debate will be Castillo’s proposal to convene a Constituent Assembly to change the constitution promulgated in 1993 by former President Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000).

His daughter’s Fuerza Popular, which has 24 representatives, made it clear that it will defend the current constitution promulgated by the former leader, who is serving 25 years in prison for crimes against humanity.

At the end of the ceremony, it was reported that the new board of directors of Congress for the next year will be elected on Monday and, that same day, the five new Peruvian representatives will be sworn in before the Andean Parliament. EFE

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