Jacobin Radio w/ Suzi Weissman: A Surprise Win in Peru w/ Nicolas Allen

Suzi speaks to Nicolas Allen (https://jacobinmag.com/2021/06/pedro-castillo-president-peru-libre) of Jacobin America Latina about the June 6 nail-biter election in Peru. Socialist trade unionist Pedro Castillo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Castillo), from an indigenous background, has won the presidency by less than 1%. His victory represents a devastating defeat for Peru’s populist neoliberal politics, represented by his rightwing opponent Keiko Fujimori (https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/prosecutor-requests-prison-for-peru-presidential-candidate-keiko-fujimori-1.5465410), daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori – who sits in jail for corruption. Castillo’s campaign slogan was “No more poor people in a rich country.” The deeply unpopular Fujimori campaign resorted to relentless anti-communist scaremongering. We get Nicolas Allen (https://jacobinmag.com/author/nicolas-allen)’s explanation of the surprise result, situating the rejection of Fujimori in the larger context of the crisis of neoliberal rule, popular revolt, and the raging pandemic.