The President-elect of Peru, Pedro Castillo is to take office today along with Vice-president elect, Dina Boluarte. He will be sworn in on Thursday at the Historical Sanctuary of the Pampa de Ayacucho. This is where the defeat of the royalist troops took place and opened the way to the independence of Peru, which now reaches its bicentenary.
Castillo has announced that he will renounce his presidential salary and live off his teacher’s earnings. He also stated that he will ask Congress to reduce the salary of all legislators and ministers by half.
During the first national congress of his political party, Peru Libre (PL) which was held at the Casa del Maestro, in Lima, Castillo thanked the party for the support offered during the electoral campaign.
In April, Castillo surprised many by taking the lead in Peru’s presidential election. He faced off against right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori in the runoff. Fujimuri even accused Castillo of voter fraud with very little evidence, delaying the elections results considerably. Castillo, a trade unionist and former teacher, promised radical change to improve the lives of Peruvians contending with a recession only worsened by the pandemic, as well as rising unemployment and poverty.
Read: Peru Elections: Socialist Leader Pedro Castillo in the Lead
