Will the U.S. pull any dirty tricks to help his jail-bird rival, the daughter of disgraced president Alberto Fujimori? Pedro Castillo Terrones, 51, a rural schoolteacher and peasant farmer surprisingly led the race of 18 candidates on election day, April 11. The leftist candidate for the Peru Libre (Free...

Peru has been in a period of crisis since December 7, when the Peruvian far right used their position in the country’s Parliament to illegally dismiss the government of President Pedro Castillo. Since then, tens of thousands of people from indigenous and peasant communities have taken to the streets to reject the new government of Dina Boluarte and demand the democratically elected Castillo be reinstated.

“The Peruvian people have raised their heads to say democratically that we are going to save this homeland,” farmer-turned-teacher, unionist organizer and socialist Pedro Castillo, 51, told supporters the evening of June 15, following the end of ten days of counting ballots. “Tonight should not only be a night of...