Peru’s Pedro Castillo to waive his presidential salary

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Peru’s president-elect Pedro Castillo announced that he will waive his salary as president and will instead receive his teacher’s wage, the profession he practices. He also intends to cut ministers’ and legislators’ salaries by 50%.

Castillo announced the measures during a ceremony in the National Congress after being sworn in, over a month after the second round of presidential elections held on June 6.

The leader of Peru Libre was officially proclaimed last Friday, after a delay by the National Electoral Jury (JNE) due to several appeals filed by his opponent Keiko Fujimori for alleged electoral fraud.

Castillo was finally declared winner by a narrow margin, with 50.12% of valid votes.

“I urge the Congress that when we take office we agree to waive the president’s salary. We will guide our country’s destiny on a teacher’s salary,” he stated. He further said that his political party will propose “first to Congress that the salaries of ministers and legislators be cut by half.”

Pedro Castillo, 51, works as a rural schoolteacher. He emerged in Peruvian politics after leading a teachers’ strike demanding better conditions for Peruvian educators.

The now president-elect comes from a humble family and was the only among 9 siblings to complete his studies. He worked as a teacher at the Cutervo Technological Institute, completed a bachelor’s degree at the César Vallejo University and a master’s degree in educational psychology.

Source: Caras y Caretas