Lopez: Keiko Fujimori will defend Peru democracy

Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López said Saturday in Lima that presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori would defend democracy in Peru and her rival, leftists Pedro Castillo, represents dictatorship and communism.

López, who is in Lima to participate in a political forum, entered Peru with a special permit by the government of President Francisco Sagasti.

Peru will hold presidential runoffs on the 6th of June, where Peruvians will have to decide between Castillo and Fujimori.

When asked Lopez if Fujimori represented democracy in Peru, he said Fujimori "has had a clear position of being able to submit to a program of defense of democracy, of defense of rule of law, of defense and commitment to freedoms."

Fujimori has been ensnared by a corruption scandal that has toppled political and business leaders around Latin America.

Prosecutors accuse Fujimori of laundering $1.2 million provided by Odebrecht for her 2011 and 2016 presidential campaigns.

Lopez criticized Fujimori's rival Castillo, saying Castillo has openly said full democracy lives in Venezuela.

"If Castillo thinks that what is in Venezuela is democracy, what can come to Peru, if Castillo wins, is tremendous."

López participated in a political forum with businessmen and politicians related to Fujimori's candidacy.

At the end of the event, Lopez put on the shirt of the Peruvian football team, which in recent weeks supporters of the right-wing candidate have donned.

Castillo has not commented so far, but in April he disassociated himself from the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. In an interview with a local radio station, Castillo said that if Maduro had something to say about Peru, he should first fix Venezuela's problems.

Lopez said the outcome of the elections in Peru will affect Venezuelans since there are "a million Venezuelans whose destiny can be marked by what can take place in a few days."

Lopez was mayor of a municipality in the metropolitan area of Caracas and in 2015 the Maduro government sentenced him to 14 years in prison for inciting violence in protests and other crimes, but Lopez fled his country in 2020 and took refuge in Spain.

Peruvian electoral campaigns have intensified and on Saturday afternoon thousands of people took to the streets of Lima in support of Fujimori in a march "for democracy and peace."

Protesters shouted "no to communism." A poster showed the face of the leftist Castillo next to the phrase "no to terrorism." Others waved white flags with the capital letter "K," the symbol of Fujimori.

Despite the abundant propaganda in the streets in favor of Fujimori, all the polls show that Castillo has the advantage, but followed very closely by Fujimori.

Peru's presidential election will be held on Sunday, June 6th. Whoever gets the most votes will lead the nation starting July 28th.