Environmental issues did not figure high in Peru’s hard-fought presidential runoff in early June and could remain on the back burner when the new president takes office on July 28th. With all 18.85 million ballots counted, Pedro Castillo, a school teacher and political newcomer from the left-wing Peru Libre Party, eked out a 50.1% to 49.9% victory—a margin of just over 44,000 votes. But the result is being contested by right-wing opponent Keiko Fujimori, who has filed multiple challenges now being reviewed by the National Election Board. If, as many expect, Castillo is confirmed the winner, he will inherit a country hit hard by the pandemic and politically divided after the ideologically polarized election. In 2020, poverty jumped by one-third to 30%, the unemployment rate doubled to 15% and the economy shrank by 11%. Peru continues to lead the world in per capita deaths from... [Log in to read more]