MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Peru objects to Argentine President's congratulating Castillo before official results announced

Fernández, Ortega, Lula and Arce have congratulated President-elect Castillo

The Government of Peru sent a note of protest to Argentina after President Alberto Fernández congratulated Pedro Castillo for his victory before the official election results were announced.

“Given the expressions of the President of the Argentine Republic, Alberto Fernández, made on the date, the Government of Peru has been obliged to deliver a Note of Protest to the Ambassador of the Argentine Republic, indicating that the final results of the General Elections 2021 have not yet been announced by the electoral authorities of our country,” Peru's Foreign Ministry said through a statement.

Fernández was the first leader on Thursday to congratulate Castillo as Peru's next president, although his victory still depends on the outcome of legal appeals filed by Keiko Fujimori, who questions the validity of around 200,000 votes when so far the difference between them was of around 70,000 votes.

“Today I contacted @PedroCastilloTe, president-elect of Peru. I expressed my wish that we join forces in favour of Latin America. We are deeply twinned nations. I celebrate that the dear Peruvian people face the future in democracy and with institutional solidity,” Fernández wrote on his Twitter account.

The daughter of the imprisoned former president Alberto Fujimori asked the National Elections Jury to annul the results of 802 polling stations - which involve some 200,000 votes - for alleged irregularities and “table fraud.”

Also congratulating Castillo were former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who pointed out that his “victory” is an “advance in the popular struggle” in Latin America. “I want to congratulate Pedro Castillo for the important victory in Peru and salute the Peruvian people for the free and democratic elections. The result of the Peruvian polls is symbolic and represents one more advance in the popular struggle in our beloved Latin America.”

Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo also spoke Thursday with “comrade Pedro Castillo, who, when he came up in the vote count of the National Elections Jury of Peru, has the majority and is considered, consequently, President-elect.”

And another leader to celebrate Castillo's win was Bolivian President Luis Arce, who had endorsed his candidacy since he had won the first round on April 11. Arce pointed out that “the Great Homeland joins forces to continue the fight for a tomorrow with justice and equality for the peoples.”