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<font size="1"><a href="https://orinocotribune.com/the-imminent-coup-in-peru/">https://orinocotribune.com/the-imminent-coup-in-peru/</a>
</font><h1 class="gmail-reader-title">The Imminent Coup in Peru</h1>June 29, 2021</div>
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<p>Legal maneuvers and delays, presented by the far-right, are
pushing Peru closer to a coup with each passing day. It’s been 20 days
since Peru’s June 6th election, and the authorities have not yet
proclaimed the winner, Pedro Castillo.</p>
<p>According to the law, a new President must be proclaimed by July
28th, and if this state of limbo continues until then, the electoral
process will have to be thrown out and a coup will have been
consolidated.</p>
<p>Leftist candidate Pedro Castillo won the presidential election in
Peru, receiving 50.125% of the vote, the equivalent of 44,000 votes more
than far-right candidate Keiko Fujimori. Fujimori presented a number of
motions to annul votes in provinces that delivered landslide victories
for Castillo, claiming the existence of ‘irregularities’. The motions
have been analyzed and thrown out by the electoral authorities.
Nevertheless, no winner has been officially declared President-elect.</p>
<p>After rejecting Fujimori’s motions, Peru’s national electoral court,
the JNE, was suddenly thrown into chaos on Wednesday (June 23rd) when a
member of the court and known Fujimori supporter, Luis Arce Cordova,
resigned. The resignation meant that the court no longer had a quorum
and thus could not declare Castillo’s victory.</p>
<p><a href="https://orinocotribune.com/former-peruvian-president-asks-that-pedro-castillos-victory-be-finally-proclaimed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED CONTENT: Former Peruvian President Asks that Pedro Castillo’s Victory Be Finally Proclaimed</a></p>
<p>If Castillo is not proclaimed President by July 28th, due to bad
faith delays and maneuvers of this nature, then the law stipulates that
Congress must convene and elect a President. Right-wing forces currently
have a majority in the legislature and would be able to elect one of
their own and call for new elections, thereby annulling Pedro Castillo’s
victory.</p>
<p>At a street level, retired military officers have been<a href="https://diariocorreo.pe/edicion/lima/san-borja-militares-en-retiro-realizan-movilizacion-denominada-respeta-mi-voto-fotos-elecciones-generales-del-peru-2021-pedro-castillo-keiko-fujimori-nndc-noticia/?ref=dcr"> holding rallies</a> in
Lima to demand a coup to prevent Pedro Castillo from being sworn in.
This follows numerous letters asking for the same. Many of the
Congressional lawmakers who would be in charge of electing a President
after the 28th were <a href="https://diariocorreo.pe/edicion/lima/san-borja-militares-en-retiro-realizan-movilizacion-denominada-respeta-mi-voto-fotos-elecciones-generales-del-peru-2021-pedro-castillo-keiko-fujimori-nndc-noticia/?ref=dcr">present</a> at those marches.</p>
<p>Peru’s electoral authorities were then hit by another bombshell from Fujimori supporters. On Thursday, June 24th, <a href="https://larepublica.pe/elecciones/2021/06/25/elecciones-2021-vladimiro-montesinos-apoyo-a-keiko-fujimori-en-segunda-vuelta-pltc/?ref=lre">leaked audios</a> from
Vladimiro Montesinos, the jailed right-hand man of former dictator
Alberto Fujimori, revealed significant attempts by him to meddle in the
National Electoral Court (JNE) and possible collusion with the United
States embassy.</p>
<p><a href="https://orinocotribune.com/peru-scandal-involves-montesinos-in-keiko-fujimori-maneuver/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED CONTENT: Peru: Scandal Involves Montesinos in Keiko Fujimori Maneuver</a></p>
<p>The audio that was leaked to the media shows Montesinos giving
instructions to Keiko Fujimori staffers, informing them that his friend
has a relationship with three members of the JNE and that this should be
exploited to help Fujimori. Montesino’s closing remark on the audio
states:</p>
<p>“There is no other way, there is no other way because it’s been a
long time now… on the issue of the U.S. embassy … they have had to
handle this differently. You can still do the embassy thing, as I am
explaining to you … but make it clear to the father [Alberto], or the
girl [Keiko], understand, I don’t know who you are talking to… I don’t
want to be contaminated … we are trying to help in a common goal. What
do I get from this? Nothing. I’m not interested and I’m never going to
ask them for anything either, I’m just trying to help because otherwise
they’re screwed, the girl will end up in prison … that’s the situation,
right?”</p>
<p>Montesinos is currently in jail for corruption and human rights
abuses during the Fujimori dictatorship and is being held at a naval
base. The Peruvian Navy <a href="https://twitter.com/naval_peru/status/1408507838452879363">has confirmed</a> that
Montesinos did make phone calls on the date in question, to a number
registered to his wife, but that they are now opening an investigation
into whether he was, in fact, speaking with the unauthorized persons
that appear in the audio.</p>
<p>As the forces behind Keiko Fujimori apply pressure upon the electoral
authorities, Pedro Castillo supporters are also mobilizing on the
streets of Lima and say that they will not leave until Castillo has been
duly sworn in as President.</p>
<p>Vice President-elect Dina Boluarte has denounced the ongoing coup
attempt by Fujimori, declaring at a press conference on Friday, “There
is an organized criminal gang that is working to generate a coup d’etat,
pretending that there was a fraud, which has been totally dismissed”</p><br><div id="gmail-mab-2069330314">
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