AMERICA/PERU - Respect for democracy and human rights: public declaration required of candidates for the presidency

Monday, 10 May 2021 elections democracy human rights civil society local churches

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Lima (Agenzia Fides) - The Peruvian Episcopal Conference (CEP), the Union of Evangelical Christian Churches of Peru (Unicep), the National Human Rights (CNDDHH) Coordinator and the civil association Transparencia presented on Saturday, May 8, the "Citizen Proclamation: Oath for Democracy", where they ask the candidates for the presidency of the Republic, Keiko Fujimori and Pedro Castillo, to respect the principles of democracy and human rights.
The "Citizen Proclamation", a document prepared by these religious and civil organizations, presents eleven requests to the candidates, since "for their careers, programs and speeches, it is more urgent than ever to be attentive to possible threats to democracy". During the presentation of the document, Cardinal Pedro Barreto, Archbishop of Huancayo, underlined: "Civil society has the right to propose to candidates who publicly and solemnly express respect for the principles of democracy, giving priority to the common good as the only way to win the challenges of Peru".
The President of the Peruvian Bishops' Conference, Mgr. Miguel Cabrejos, Archbishop of Trujillo and also President of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), asked the candidates for the presidency of the Republic to take "a solemn oath of respect for democracy". "There is an urgent need for whoever is elected to commit to an agenda of the country's urgent issues and to building a just and democratic Peru", he added.
Jorge Bracamonte, executive secretary of the CNDDHH, reiterated that the Citizen Proclamation establishes that democracy is essential to generate coexistence and that civil society will be vigilant in against whoever is elected president. On June 6, Peruvians will vote to choose one of the two presidential candidates, who are in extreme positions. According to the latest surveys published by local media, Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) is considered a better manager for the management of the pandemic by 47% of those consulted and also to overcome the economic crisis (46%), while Pedro Castillo is considered a better option for the fight against corruption (58%) and for the advancement of public education (56%). In public opinion, the proposal that candidates sign the Citizen Proclamation has been welcomed as something very positive, especially for two points: publicly swearing that they will leave power at the end of their term, in 2026, and that they will not interfere in the investigation of the Prosecutor's Office. (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 10/5/2021)