Overview
- Julio Velarde received a formal tribute in Washington for two decades at Peru’s central bank and said the bank’s autonomy would hold even if he steps down.
- Velarde joined IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington and spoke on an Andean monetary policy panel with his peers from Chile and Colombia.
- Presidential hopeful Roberto Sánchez said he is open to meeting Velarde over a “Quillabamba coffee” and pledged not to end the bank’s autonomy, while refusing to say if he would keep him in the job.
- Sánchez previously vowed to fire Velarde on day one, but he now trails the language of restraint as ONPE’s count shows him in second place by 15,471 votes with 93.8% of tallies processed.
- Interim president José María Balcázar faced criticism after videos showed him dancing in Chiclayo during an unresolved vote, underscoring how political optics have fed worries about economic stewardship and stability.