Interview: Next Peruvian president faces pressing tasks of improving economy, combatting crimes

The next president of Peru will have to face the pressing tasks of reviving the national economy and improving the security situation, a local political analyst told Xinhua in an interview Saturday.

Keiko Fujimori, presidential candidate for the Popular Force party, has taken the lead in early exit polls for the Peruvian general election, which began on Sunday. The final result will be announced on Monday after a complete count, and the new president will take office on July 28.

Juan Carbajal, a political expert at the National University of San Marcos, said that the restoration of the economy tops the agenda of the new administration, as "Peru's economy has been badly hit" in recent years.

The Peruvian economy grew at 3.26 percent in 2015, down from 8.5 percent in 2010, largely due to the drop in international commodity prices.

The South American nation has been plagued by rising unemployment, which now stands near 7 percent in urban regions.

"Another key factor that contributes to the strength of the economy will be the creation of more jobs, which is a major concern for millions of young Peruvians," noted Carbajal, adding that "the health of the Peruvian economy and society" depends on the secured job creation.

To make this happen, the expert said, the new administration will have to conduct broad reforms, increase investment and improve productivity.

Carbajal also said that the Peruvian government needs to deal with mounting delinquencies and organized crime, which the public has increasingly complained about.

"The government will have to pay a lot of attention to the security situation ... Violence is constant in the streets. If they do not tackle this problem head-on, the insecure situation will continue," he noted.

Previous polls showed that currently the Peruvians see crimes as their major concern, with 82 percent of citizens saying they feel unsafe.

Carbajal pointed out that "fundamentally, the country requires a complete overhaul of the justice system to better tackle the root cause of crimes and empower the cities."

The Peruvian government also faces pressure to improve the health system and education coverage, said the expert, as 28 percent of the children in the country's rural areas have reportedly suffered from malnutrition and around 63,000 teenage girls got pregnant for lacking of reproductive security awareness.

"These are the foundations of social well-being and economic growth," Carbajal said. Endi