A rural teacher-turned-political novice has been declared Peru’s president-elect, defeating daughter of former president

LIMA, Peru (AP) – A rural teacher-turned-political novice has became the winner of Peru’s presidential election after the country’s longest electoral count in 40 years. Pedro Castillo’s supporters included Peru’s poor and rural citizens. He defeated right-wing politician Keiko Fujimori by just 44,000 votes. Electoral authorities on Monday released the final official results more than a month after the runoff election took place in the South American nation. Castillo popularized the phrase “No more poor in a rich country.” Peru is the world’s second-largest copper producer but its economy has been crushed by the coronavirus pandemic. The poverty level has increased to almost one-third of the population, eliminating the gains of a decade.