Peru's Fujimori, Castillo spar in presidential debate, neck-and-neck in polls
By Marco Aquino
Posted on May 31, 2021
FILE PHOTO: Peruvian presidential candidates Keiko Fujimori, who will face Pedro Castillo in a run-off vote on June 6, holds Peru's national flag, in Lima
By Marco Aquino and Marcelo Rochabrun
LIMA (Reuters) -Peru’s two presidential candidates on Sunday sparred in a debate marked by offers of increased public spending, with right-wing Keiko Fujimori offering cash handouts and bonuses as socialist Pedro Castillo proposed increased universal pensions.
The pair are neck-and-neck in opinion polls just one week ahead of the country’s polarized presidential election on June 6. The ballot could tilt the country, a relative safe haven for investors in Latin America, sharply to the left or see the controversial Fujimori family return to power.
On Sunday, Fujimori, the daughter of jailed former president Alberto Fujimori, unveiled a proposal to seek more contributions from the country’s mining companies. Castillo, an elementary school teacher, has previously proposed raising taxes on miners.
Mining is a key source of revenue and economic stability for Peru, whose public finances remain strong but have been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with rising public debt and fiscal deficits.
A poll from Ipsos Peru on Sunday showed the two candidates within 2 percentage points of each other, and the gap between them narrowing versus the pollster’s previous survey.
More:
https://www.metro.us/perus-fujimori-castillo-spar/
