Peruvian archbishop urges consensus amid pending election results

Published: 2006-04-17

LIMA, Peru (CNS) -- With the results of Peru's April 9 presidential election still too close to call, the president of the bishops' conference called for dialogue and consensus among the country's leading political parties. On April 11, Archbishop Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte of Trujillo urged the candidates who will participate in the runoff election to "seek the common good, especially for young people." While the country awaited final election results, Archbishop Cabrejos called on the parties to focus on Peru's most pressing issues. "We're all aware of the enormous needs of the Peruvian people," he said, calling for "mutual respect among party organizations to avoid polarization." Because none of the 20 candidates in the race won more than half the votes, the two with the highest number will go to a runoff in May or early June.

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