A Renewed Democratic Process O n April 8, Peru's nearly 15 million voters went to the polls in an exercise of democracy thought impossible a year ago. A runoff is set for May 20. The well-respected interim government of Valentin Paniagua will hand over power on July 28. In the weeks prior to the election, Father Judd wrote some reflections on recent events in Peru.
Edited excerpts follow.
A copy of the original is available from the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns. Last year at this time we witnessed one of the most fraudulent elections imaginable when all one could do was to compose a psalm of lament or take solace in a slim hope that the truth would ultimately win the day. The painful truth has emerged over the course of these past several months along with the resurgent hope for a return to democracy in the midst of many unknown scenarios. Peru is a better place for the raising of its collective consciousness that has taken place, but it still has a long way to go to create a culture of democratic participation as the analysis below tries to point out. The videos themselves are a case study of the corruption that everyone knew was so prevalent.