by 2 minutes Read Reuters, LIMA, July 1 – Julio Velarde, the president of Peru’s central bank, said on Thursday that once socialist nominee Pedro Castillo is formally certified as the Andean nation’s next president, he will discuss his request to stay in his position. With all ballots counted from the June 6 election, Castillo, who has roiled the Andean country’s political establishment with promises to redistribute wealth and rewrite the constitution, finished with a narrow 44,000-vote lead over conservative rival Keiko Fujimori, though the result has been delayed due to Fujimori’s allegations of fraud. Last weekend, Castillo formally asked Velarde to stay on as the head of the monetary organization, in what was considered as a key signal of market stability. Velarde did not rule out the possibility. “When Mr Castillo asked me, I thanked him and informed him that if he is announced (as president), I will have a longer talk with him,” he said during an economic seminar hosted by the Ministry of Economy. Velarde, whose five-year presidential term ends in July, is the chairman of the central bank’s seven-member board of directors. Four are selected by the government, including the president, while the rest are chosen by Congress. Economist Velarde is a well-known and respected financial official who has led Peru’s central bank since 2006, during a period of tremendous political turmoil in which consecutive presidents have been accused of corruption. (Marco Aquino contributed reporting; Aislinn Laing wrote the story; Muralikumar Anantharaman edited it.)/n
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