Trumpism is not dead. A new political philosophy that blends white supremacy, voter oppression, market fundamentalism and authoritarianism is influencing the June 6, 2021 presidential election in Peru, South America.
All votes were counted and national and international election observers confirmed the elections were clean, but right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori, daughter of imprisoned former dictator Alberto Fujimori, is launching a coup to stop her rival, son of illiterate peasant Pedro Castillo. to be Her deceitful cry, unsupported by any evidence, shook the hierarchical system and fragile democracy.
Pedro Castillo won the election by a small margin of 44,000 votes with support from the rural poor, 54% of the population, including 19% living in absolute poverty (living on less than a dollar a day). He has pledged to use the country’s resources to reduce the high poverty rate (VisionLaunchMedia-3 Tragic Peru Poverty Rate Statistics and Facts by Crystal Lombardo, 24 Aug).
In contrast, Fujimori’s campaign was essentially a fight against communism, which secured large middle-class voters and supported the entire Lima establishment, business leaders, major media outlets and the middle class.
In a society of enormous social, racial and regional inequality, Castillo is a popular outsider seen as a threat to privileged Peruvians. Fujimori supports continuing the failed market-driven policies that have made Peru where it is today.
Fujimori’s strategy is clearly similar to Trump’s. He spreads disinformation, legitimizes elections, and creates an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty.
First, you slander the person by calling them a communist. Then they shout a losing foul and accuse the opponent of stealing the election.
Inspired by Donald Trump’s refusal to admit defeat in the US presidential election, Fujimori promised his supporters that the election would be ‘reversed’.
An example of her uneven playing field is that even before her election, she filed more than 1,000 applications with the courts to invalidate 400,000 votes by hiring top lawyers.
In mid-June, more than 60 former officers posted letters urging a coup d’état against Castillo, a racial meme among white middle-class Andeans too ignorant to vote on social media and calling for Alberto Fujimori’s alleged forced return. There was this. Infertility for indigenous women.
Fujimori has a special interest in the outcome of the election, as he has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for corruption and has the freedom to pardon his imprisoned father and drop his charges.
The unfairness of the electoral system is evident in the fact that the National Election Commission (ONPE) did not certify the results even though the election was more than three weeks old.
Peru is another example of democracy being threatened.
In its evolution, democracy had to replace feudalism in Europe, one-party states in Africa, and military rule in Latin America. But more and more liberal democracies around the world are seeing the rise of authoritarian populists such as Jair Bolsonaro (Brazil), Rodrigo Duterte (Philippines), Benjamin Netanyahu (Israel) and Narenda Modi (India). . Donald Trump’s ally.
People voted for them. It is shocking that nearly 50% of Peruvian voters have chosen to hand over the presidency of the country to a dubious figure like Keiko Fujimori. If she won, it would have been like handing her hen’s keys to her house to her fox.
The coup also has geopolitical implications, along with allegations of US involvement, as some members of the Fujimori team have ties to the CIA.
No matter how perfect the theory of a political system is, it matters to the extent to which people adhere to its principles. When democracy fails, political instability and even violence occur.
There is an enduring ideology in the world that deals with social emotions, governance styles, political movements, and a set of mechanisms for gaining and maintaining power associated with Donald Trump.
On January 6, the Trump crowd stormed the Capitol in Washington, DC, the heart of American democracy, which required military intervention to save it, but the system itself and democracy won, not either side.
In Peru, attention is focused on whether the people will be able to save democracy or face the unpleasant alternative of a bloody revolution.
