Peru's President-elect Pedro Castillo at a July 15 news conference. Photo: Carlos Garcia Granthon/Fotoholica Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
Peru's electoral authority declared socialist Pedro Castillo "president-elect" Monday night after he won the country's presidential election, per Reuters.
Driving the news: The 51-year-old son of peasant farmers narrowly beat the daughter of a conservative former president known for being part of the country's elite, the New York Times reports.
- After he was declared the next president, Castillo supporters took to the streets chanting, "Yes, we could," the NYT notes.
The big picture: The pandemic has devastated Peru, which has the worst COVID-19 death rate per capita, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
- Almost 10% of Peru's population has slipped into poverty in the past year and many wanting disparities addressed turned at the ballot box to Castillo, who was previously one of the leaders of a 2017 teachers strike, according to the Times.
What to watch: Castillo has promised to rewrite the constitution and give the state a bigger role in industries like mining, per Axios' Dave Lawler.