Accusations of voter fraud, along with resistance from opposition parties and business elites, will likely undermine the administration of Peru’s presumed next president, leading to chronic political instability that could weaken the South American country’s business climate. Far-left candidate Pedro Castillo won Peru’s June 6 presidential run-off election by a slim margin of 44,816 votes. But his victory has yet to be made official due to fraud allegations launched by his conservative opponent, Keiko Fujimori, who is contesting roughly 200,000 ballots. While it has yet to make a final decision, Peru’s independent National Elections Jury (JNE) has already nullified several complaints brought by Fujimori’s legal team. And international and domestic observer bodies, including the U.S. State Department, have also found no evidence of voter fraud, proclaiming Peru’s June 6 election to be free and fair. Despite the controversy, Castillo is thus still expected to eventually be sworn in as Peru’s...
