Photo: Presidency of Peru / Twitter @presidenciaperu / copyright
Pedro Castillo assumed the presidency of Peru on Wednesday for the period 2021 – 2021 after swearing the position before the Congress of the Republic and receive the symbolic presidential sash.
Castillo, Dressed in his traditional Chotano straw hat with wide brim and a suit with indigenous motifs, he received the symbols of the power of the State from the hands of the President of Parliament, María del Carmen Alva.
“ I swear by God, by my family, by my Peruvian sisters and brothers, peasants, native peoples, ronderos, fishermen, teachers, professionals , children, youth and women, who will hold the office of President of the Republic for the period 2021 – 2020. I swear by the peoples of Peru, by a country without corruption and by u new Constitution ”, affirmed the rural teacher.
All the representatives of the powers of the State and the full Congress, as well as close relatives of the president, were present at the sober ceremony.
Also invited were the King of Spain, Felipe VI, and the presidents of Argentina, Alberto Fernández; Bolivia, Luis Arce; Chile, Sebastián Piñera; Colombia, Iván Duque, and Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso.
Pedro Castillo Terrones ( @ PedroCastilloTe ),
President of the Republic of Peru.
2021 – 2026 # AsunciónPresidenteCastillo pic. twitter.com/GMXTBSUIf3– Presidency of Peru 🇵🇪 (@presidenciaperu ) July 28, 2021
Critical moment
Castillo assumes the presidency at a critical time for the Peru, ravaged by the health and economic crisis unleashed by the covid pandemic – 19 and in the midst of enormous polarization and political instability.
The professor receives the country with the highest mortality from coronavirus per capita, with close to 200. 000 deceased, and an economy struggling to recover after contracting a 11. 8% in 2020.
The triumph of this rural teacher from 51 years in the presidential elections, which were contested in two rounds on 11 April and June 6, came as a surprise to many Peruvians and above all it has been a stick for pods you are established and the traditional politics of the Andean country.
Peru, which this day also commemorates the 200 years of independence, has in Castillo for the first time a head of state from the Andean countryside, oblivious to its political elites and centers of power, very anxious about its irruption.
It is expected that in the next few hours the brand new president, whose secrecy in recent weeks has been absolute, will announce his Cabinet and confirm the first lines of action of your mandate.
During the During the campaign, Castillo was emphatic in pointing out the need for the Peruvian State to have a greater intervention in the economy and insisted on promoting the creation of a Constituent Assembly to create a new Constitution, proposals that generate a wide controversy in the country.
The last more surveys indicate that Castillo is seen by Peruvians with a mixture of hope (34 %), uncertainty (29 %), confidence (16 %) And fear (15%).
Now | Message to the Nation from the President of the Republic, @ PedroCastilloTe . # AsunciónPresidenteCastillo
🔴 Live: https://t.co/pRRrPw6J 95– Presidency of Peru 🇵🇪 (@presidenciaperu) July 28, 2021
Opposing hostility
Castillo also assumes command with the certainty that he will not have a “honeymoon” among his opponents, that As early as the night of June 6, when his triumph over the right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori began to be glimpsed, they began to sow doubts about his legitimacy and your victory.
Fujimori denounced for weeks, without reliable evidence, the existence of a “fraud” committed at the hands of Castillo and his party, Peru Libre.
That “fraud” is non-existent for the Peruvian Justice and for the international community, but it delayed Castillo’s proclamation for a month and a half with more than a thousand lawsuits and legal remedies without support.
From sectors of the political and media right, the Armed Forces were even urged to reject the president and leave the presidency of Peru in the hands of the president of Congress, what in practice would have been a coup.
We had a pleasant meeting with King Felipe VI of Spain. We talked about the cultural ties of both countries and about strengthening our ties of friendship. pic.twitter.com/brrOo9Gere
– Pedro Castillo Terrones (@PedroCastilloTe) 1420440501451464715 July 28, 2020
With information from Efe.
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