Kuczynski says Peru “will fall into the abyss” if Keiko Fujimori runs for election
Lima, Oct 2 (EFE).- Former Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said that Peru “will fall into the abyss” if right-wing leader Keiko Fujimori runs for the fourth time for the presidential elections.
In spite this declarations, Kuczynski defended his decision to pardon Keiko’s father, former President Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000),in 2017.
“I think that if Keiko runs, Peru “will fall into the abyss,” said the former president (2016-2018) in statements published Monday by the newspaper Perú21.
Kuczynski added that if the elections were tentatively scheduled for 2026, candidates like the ultra-nationalist ex-military Antauro Humala “or Juan Fulano” faced Keiko, they would “beat” her.
“People do not want her,” he remarked in allusion to the great “anti-Fujimori” movement in Peru, which has prevented the group leader from winning three consecutive elections despite reaching the second round in 2011, 2016, and 2021.
He considered politicians Rafael Belaunde, businessman Carlos Añanos, and actor Carlos Álvarez, as possible candidates, and stated they “have to get together to avoid polarization” in the next elections.
Kuczynski, who faces judicial proceedings for alleged corruption linked to the Odebrecht case, also affirmed that his work at the head of the Peruvian government was cut short “with some insane accusations that are being refuted.”
After announcing that he will present his memoir, “Incomplete Task,” he stated thinks “that the humanitarian pardon” he granted in December 2017 to Fujimori “was the right decision.” However, he did it at a “bad” moment.
He commented that he should have waited for Pope Francis to arrive in the country in January 2018, with whom he assured to have discussed the issue in Rome.
“‘Let him go,’ the Pope told me. And I released him, well. And I fried (I harmed myself),” he indicated.
Kuczynski also said that he considers former president Alejandro Toledo (2001-2006), currently in preventive prison while on trial for allegedly having received millions in bribes from Odebrecht, “a good person” and that Martin Vizcarra (2018-2020), who was his vice-president and succeeded him in office, is “a complicated person psychologically because he lies a lot.”
Referring to the current government of Dina Boluarte, he maintained that it has to “clarify why 60 people died with bullets when they tried to invade the airports of Ayacucho and Juliaca” in anti-government demonstrations that took place last December and January.
“As long as that is not clarified, there will continue to be great unrest in the country. These deaths have been politicized by the delay in facing responsibilities”, he remarked.
The former president also mentioned that investment “is at a standstill in Peru” since previously between 26% or 27% of the GDP was allocated to this sector, and that “today it is at 15%”.
“This condemns us to a deficient growth,” he said before saying that “we must give signals” to investors to recover the development of sectors such as mining. EFE
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