Peruvian presidential candidate Pedro Castillo has proposed to his rival, Keiko Fujimori, that the next debate be held in the Santa Mónica prison in Lima, where the right-wing Fuerza Popular candidate was held between 2018 and 2020 for alleged money laundering.
“We already held the debate in my land, in my beloved Chota there in the cradle of the peasant rounds. We already did. We want the next debate, as it has been done in my land, to be held in the Santa Mónica prison. I am going to go to the Santa Monica prison for the next debate to make this fight, “Castillo declared during a rally in the department of Ucayali (southeast of the country).
On May 1, the candidates for the second round held an unofficial debate in the province of Chota, department of Cajamarca (north), the birthplace of the leftist candidate.
Despite the fact that the National Elections Jury has proposed holding four official debates (two between candidates for the presidency, one between candidates for vice-presidencies, and another between technical teams), Castillo and Fujimori have not yet reached an agreement.
Fujimori was held in preventive detention from October 2018 to April 2020 in the Santa Mónica prison, located in the Chorrillos district of Lima, accused by the Prosecutor’s Office of money laundering for allegedly receiving money from the construction company Odebrecht to finance its campaign for president in 2011.
Castillo and Fujimori will compete for the highest leadership of the country in the elections to be held on June 6.
